Good afternoon family, friends and staff, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming out and celebrating this important day. This year has been an awesome year. We have had some ups and downs, but we always managed to get back on track. My journey at TCS began four years ago when my former sponsor, Ms. Sandy, made a wrong turn and read a sign that said “The Community School an academic and mentoring high school.” I remember Ms. Sandy telling me that TCS was a private school. She had me thinking I was going to a fancy private school; turned out I was wrong. When I first saw the school and met with Mr. Tom, I knew I wanted to attend TCS. I was so ready for a change in my life. You see in public school I was always a problem child. I chose to hang with the so called popular kids. Hanging with the popular kids only caused me to be in a lot of trouble. I was always fighting or being in a lot of drama. It seemed like my mother was up the school every single day. I finally realized at the end it wasn't hurting anyone but myself. When I graduated 8th grade I was happy, but when I actually thought about it I don’t know how they passed me. I didn’t think I was ready for high school, and let me tell you I wasn’t. My first year at TCS was really hard for me. I didn’t know how...
Hi everyone. It's been a long, long, looooong time coming. You see, I started out my high school career in a Christian school called Greater Grace. Tiny school (Well its giant compared to this one, but it's small by the standards of other schools) When circumstances changed, I had to leave that school and gave homeschooling a try. During my time as a homeschool student, the work habits I had developed had seemed to basically disappear. I was not motivated at all to do the work, and just ended up sitting at home playing Xbox and eating Doritos. After the end of what was supposed to be my freshman year, I wasn't going to move on to be a sophomore. Instead of sticking with what wasn’t working, my mom told me she heard of a school that would allow me to regain the year I lost. I was told about the three-year program the school offered, and I was totally ready to get that year I lost back. Over the course of my years at the Community School, I’ve learned a lot, not just academically, but about myself as an individual. I’ve gained the confidence to do things I never thought I’d be able to do. I never thought I would travel anywhere outside the U.S., but now I’m gonna be traveling to Africa with my church. A thing I’ve only dreamed of. Thank you Mr. Tom for everything you’ve done for me at the school. Thank you for being a good teacher and role model for me...