Achieve Academy is Wylie ISD’s alternative education campus. It is best known for providing students an alternate avenue for obtaining their high school diplomas through the Choice High School program. Throughout the 2017-2018 school year, Choice High School has served two hundred twenty-six students; and, a record one hundred and three students will graduate, despite being a full year or more behind when they enrolled. I attribute this success to the students, to the teachers, and to the administrators. It is truly a team effort.
According to Achieve Academy principal, Mr. Dana Roberts, “Choice High School is much more than students just earning credits. Choice High School is about providing opportunities and support to change lives.” Many students who attend Achieve Academy have unique stories or life circumstances that brought them to Achieve. Students like Emily.
When Emily was sixteen years old, her dad lost his job and was unable to find work. She decided to drop out of school to take a job to help support her family. Last summer, she moved in with her brother and his family. She planned to get her GED, but her brother insisted she go back to school and get her high school diploma. The second week of school, part-time hero and full-time teacher, Dani Womack, started tutoring Emily. She was a fourth year high school student with less than sixteen credits. She had a lot of work to do.
Teachers like Dani believe that developing a relationship with kids is the best way to help them reach their goals. Dani learned that Emily’s dream was to become a bilingual kindergarten teacher. Through her hard work, determination, and this relationship, Emily completed all of her credits by mid-October and graduated with a high school diploma. I cannot wait to hire Emily to be a teacher and provide her with the same love and support that she received from Mrs. Womack. I have no doubt that Emily will make a positive impact on the world.
This week, Wylie ISD celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week. We have been given the opportunity to celebrate teachers like Dani Womack and all the others who invest in our kids. Please take a moment to let these wonderful people know they matter. Without them, we couldn’t do what we do. Without them, we couldn’t make a difference in the lives of our kids.
I would like to thank Dani and all of the other Wylie ISD teachers for the work they do each day. They light the way for a brighter tomorrow—the Wylie Way!