My son was enrolled at JCA starting in his eighth grade year. The public school where he had been up to that point was so big that he was lost in a crowd and his behavior and attitude were being negatively affected from an environment where there were so many students that only the ones at the top and bottom were getting any attention. JCA became the place where he could be himself and get involved. He was very content and confident.
At the beginning of his junior year, there was an opportunity to enroll him in another school that had boasted of their academic standing and placement of graduates. During the first half of the year in this new school, it was noticeable that my son was withdrawing and pursuing academics less than ever. He had been influenced by other students to try drugs, he had given up on classes, he was heading down a path that he realized he did not want to go. He asked to come back to JCA.
His words in that plea are ones that made it very easy to contact JCA to try to arrange his return. He said, "At JCA, my friends would never let me do this kind of thing." JCA teachers and staff care. They get to know the students and parents and make a difference. The other students there are kids that are struggling with the same things, but they do it together and have a safe place to figure it out.
On his return, he focused on his classes, renewed friendships, was active in sports and drama. He finished school with a great education, a scholarship to college and many lifetime connections.
As a parent, I always felt like the staff had my son's well-being as their goal. Even after he graduated, they encouraged my son. JCA isn't a place where you just go to school. It is a place where you learn how to connect and have healthy friendships and responsibilities. I learned that school can teach a lot more than what is in the books and sometimes that matters a whole lot more.
Thank you JCA!
-Sandra Slate
At the beginning of his junior year, there was an opportunity to enroll him in another school that had boasted of their academic standing and placement of graduates. During the first half of the year in this new school, it was noticeable that my son was withdrawing and pursuing academics less than ever. He had been influenced by other students to try drugs, he had given up on classes, he was heading down a path that he realized he did not want to go. He asked to come back to JCA.
His words in that plea are ones that made it very easy to contact JCA to try to arrange his return. He said, "At JCA, my friends would never let me do this kind of thing." JCA teachers and staff care. They get to know the students and parents and make a difference. The other students there are kids that are struggling with the same things, but they do it together and have a safe place to figure it out.
On his return, he focused on his classes, renewed friendships, was active in sports and drama. He finished school with a great education, a scholarship to college and many lifetime connections.
As a parent, I always felt like the staff had my son's well-being as their goal. Even after he graduated, they encouraged my son. JCA isn't a place where you just go to school. It is a place where you learn how to connect and have healthy friendships and responsibilities. I learned that school can teach a lot more than what is in the books and sometimes that matters a whole lot more.
Thank you JCA!
-Sandra Slate
