By Melissa Byrd
Last week, I was honored to attend my last graduation of the season, Sheeler High School, and it was truly moving.
Sheeler High School is a small charter school here in Apopka that is part of the Second Mile Education company. The company runs five charter schools throughout Orange County to support our children who are on a tougher road.
Many of the students who attend these schools have struggled in traditional high schools for various reasons. Some have significant home issues, some have become parents at a young age, and some have just struggled with the fast pace and large class environment of public schools.
Sheeler High School and the four other charters offer a small environment with significant one-on-one encouragement to prevent dropping out and to ultimately get these vulnerable students to the finish line with a high school diploma.
At the graduation, over 600 students from across Orange County crossed the stage. Inspiration was not in short supply in this room. There were endless tears and smiles as many students told me they thought this day would never come. They thought they would never get to wear a cap and gown.
These are students who could have given up, who didn’t have any support at home or who had to go to work full time to support their families during the day, instead of attending high school like their peers.
These schools provided a flexible environment where they could attend at different hours and, most importantly, gave them the support they needed to keep going.
When real life hits sooner than it should for some kids, it’s often hard for school to rank high on the list of immediate daily priorities. These kids need to be reminded that education holds the key to changing their futures. They need someone to personally be in their corner, pushing and keeping them motivated when times get hard. That is what these schools do.
Students who were once considered at risk and not on track for graduation proudly shook my hand with plans in place for their next steps. Many are now going on to a trade school or to a state college. Students who, at one time, were nearly high school dropouts have a bright future.
There really is nothing more beautiful than changing a life. I’m so lucky I was able to see 600 changed lives at this ceremony.
