December 14, 2023 | Jeffrey Good
Shamyiah Lewis is a strong student, but moving to a new city at the beginning of her senior year nearly derailed her plans to earn a high diploma and go on to study filmmaking in college.
Happily, Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies helped her get back on track.
“I didn’t feel welcomed,” she said of the experience of trying to fit in at a large, traditional high school after moving from New York City to Georgia in December 2022. “It’s senior year, so it’s hard to find new friends and fit in.”
Slipping into a deep depression, she stopped going to school. “I was thinking about just getting my GED,” she recalls. “But then I got a call from one of the staff at Acceleration Academies.”
She liked what she heard: GCAA is a school that works in partnership with the public school district to offer a flexible, personalized curriculum for learners like her. She was able to take one course at a time, work from home and on campus, and get as much one-on-one support as she needed.
That support was crucial. English coach Morris Bevily was her first teacher and, in addition to providing academic insights, helped her make the transition from traditional school to a more individualized path. “He was so understanding,” she says. “He didn’t rush me. He told me I could go at my own pace.”
As she gained confidence, her pace quickened. And then along came calculus — where math coach Becky Matthews helped her navigate that challenging subject. “She would talk me through things so I could register them.”
Shortly after enrolling at GCAA, Shamyiah was in a car crash that left her with a concussion and without easy transportation to campus. Academy Director Hashima Carothers helped her strike a productive balance between working from home and taking Uber rides to campus for in-person support. “Ms. Shima was really understanding about my situation.”
In addition to the warmth she felt from educators, Shamyiah also felt at home at the GCAA campus. Rather than sitting in a row of traditional classroom desks, she was able to grab a comfortable seat in the café-style atmosphere near other graduation candidates — or by herself.
“It’s really comforting,” she says of the learning environment.
While she was struggling with depression, Shamyiah began writing stories. She began to post them anonymously on platforms like Wattpad and was thrilled at the amount of positive response flooding in. Inspired, she began claiming her writing as her own and decided that she’d like to study filmmaking as a way to share them in a multidimensional way.
Shamyiah recently joined the first-ever glass of grads from GCAA, and she feels deep gratitude for the way educators helped her to get her studies — and life — back on track.
“They just really want you to succeed and go further in life and not give up.”
Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies accepts new students on a rolling basis. For more information, check out the academy web page and fill out an online enrollment form.
Here is a sampling of images from graduation day from photographer Charles Anderson.
