Acceleration Academies of Ector County (EAA) celebrated its newest class of graduates with shouts of joy, tears of gratitude and words of inspiration.
“For the last year, I have gotten to know each of the graduates and see the perseverance they have had on this journey,” said academy Director Natosha Scott. “I hope you all realize it has been worth the emotional battle.
One of grads, Deily Martinez Ortiz, came to EAA after quitting traditional high school in frustration. At her old school, Deily said teachers had so many students that they couldn’t provide help when she needed it.
At Acceleration Academies, she said, Scott and her team of educators never gave up on her — and wouldn’t let her give up on herself.
“I told them I couldn’t do any more, that I was giving up,” Deily recalled. “Ms. Scott said, ‘You’re almost there. You’ve got this.’ She didn’t let me give up.”
Another grad, Ruby Hernandez, entered high school with big dreams: to become the first in her family to go to college, to build a career in health care, to make her parents, grandparents and sisters proud.
Ruby has always been a hard-working student, but something big stood in her way — the cerebral palsy that had her in and out of the hospital and doctor’s appointments and forced her to miss so much school that she was forced to withdraw.
“I’m not going to lie,” says Ruby. “At one point, I did think that dropping out was the best option for me.”
But Ruby didn’t to give up. She heard about EAA, which works in partnership with the public school district to provide a flexible, personalized path for students frustrated in traditional settings.
“I just felt like there was always help when I needed it,” Ruby says of EAA. “No matter what you’re going through, they’re going to be there to help you.”
Ruby has gone through a lot. “It was always doctors, surgeries or something,” she says. “School wasn’t my problem; it was just that I couldn’t be there because of my health issues.”
Walking into EAA, she could tell she had come to a school unlike any she had experienced before. Rather than rows of desks, she found comfy, cafe-style seating. Rather than chaotic hallways and crowded classrooms, she found an atmosphere of quiet and calm.
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At her old school, “it was just rowdy and loud all the time,” she says. And the teachers had so many students to educate that it was hard for Ruby to get the individual help she needed.
Not so at Acceleration Academies, where a team of educators stood ready to help her in person and when she was working at home. Exceptional student educator Beth Webster responded immediately whenever Ruby needed help in a subject.
“She would always find a way,” Ruby says. “She would go out of her way to help me.”
The help wasn’t just academic. After a recent surgery, graduation candidate advocate Kasey Bales lit up Ruby’s phone with calls of concern. “She was always making me feel comfortable.”
Her grandparents came to Texas from Mexico in hopes of giving their family a life of opportunity. Ruby has always been close to them, and they’ve constantly urged her to lay a solid foundation for herself through education.
“They’ve always wanted the best for me,” she says. “They’ve seen me suffer. They’ve seen me go through a lot. They’re going to be very proud of me.”
So will her parents and four younger sisters. “I’m the oldest and they see me as a role model.”
Click here for images from graduation day by photographer Steve Aicinena.