Patrick entered The Lake Academy as an 18-year-old high school senior. A large part of his trouble in school was truancy. He lost valuable class time and did not make up the work. His plan at The Lake Academy was to attend 95% of the required days. Patrick’s attendance did improve and although he was often tardy, graduating was a motivator for him. He never wasted any time while he was in school and even brought work home with him if he was behind. He took one credit in English and excelled. He was one of the best writers in the school. He had a desire to finish reading books he had started in middle school and never completed. Patrick never failed to do any of the work that was required of him. In fact, he did extra work to ensure a good grade. His self-image improved as he continued reading, writing and speaking in class. He received an outstanding student award in English.

Patrick spent the remainder of his time at The Lake Academy earning1.5 credits in science, also earning the Outstanding Student Award and .5 credits in government. He attended The Lake Academy until 10:15 am every day, then drove to the nearby Auburn Career, where he continued his studies and attended vocational training classes in auto body. He often spoke about his love of cars and how he enjoyed classes at Auburn. In addition to attending these two schools, Patrick also worked part-time at Preston Chevrolet in the body shop. He received excellent reviews from his employer and earned the Outstanding Employee Award from The Lake Academy. As witnessed by his teachers and employer, Patrick is a very polite, responsible and enthusiastic young man. He plans to continue training at Preston.

At the school’s annual recognition program, Patrick gave his own testimonial. He thanked the teacher for giving him the chance to graduate. He also thanked his employer for having faith in him. Patrick was a success at The Lake Academy because he had come to realize that the school was helping him achieve his goals, not hindering his success.

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Ben entered The Lake Academy as a junior. He was displaying a lack of motivation in his academics. Although he tested extremely high, he was failing tests and had an overall attitude of not caring. Upon enrolling at The Lake Academy, I saw that Ben was very intelligent and liked being challenged. The educational alternatives offered at our school allowed Ben to use his creativity and his intelligence to seek projects that interested him in order to fulfill his requirements. He easily completed his work and even did extra work due to his interest in certain topics.

Ben entered our school again as a senior, needing a full credit of English and a half-credit in government, social studies and art. This year he was presented with the Outstanding Student Award in government as well as the Integrity Award. He completed all of his academic work by January and worked full-time at East-Lyn Lumber Co. until May. His employer was very happy with his dedication to his work.

At the school’s annual recognition ceremony, Ben said that The Lake Academy was the reason he made it through high school. He profusely thanked the staff for giving him the opportunity to learn what he wanted and how. He also spoke of his community service experience. Ben volunteered at a homeless shelter and met a man who once walked in his shoes. The man spoke at length with Ben about his disappointing life experience and how he eventually ended up in the homeless shelter. He shared how he had never taken advantage of the opportunities given to him and subsequently never finished high school. Ben’s experience at the shelter and The Lake Academy has provided him with the motivation and determination to succeed.

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For more information please contact:
Mr. John Weiss, Director
Phone: (440) 942-7401
Fax: (440) 942-1790
E-mail: lc_weiss@lgca.org