Highlights From Lake View Academy's Summer 2007 Newsletter

Lake View Academy’s 35th Awards Ceremony & Graduation

On Friday, June 8, 2007, Lake View Academy held its Awards Ceremony and Graduation on a blessedly cool and dry summer evening.  Below on this page are excerpts from the speeches of the five graduates.

Ted Urban received the Principal’s Award for making significant changes as a student over the years.  Kevin Smith and Ted Urban earned the Kiwanis Club Scholarship Award for being on the honor roll the entire school year.  Nick Van Husen earned the Kiwanis Club Citizenship Award for the role he played in maintaining a positive atmosphere at LVA.

All of the undergraduates received awards as well.  One student wrote, “the awards usually end up being funny.  Last year I was late to school most of the time and the teachers gave me an alarm clock so I could wake up on time every day.

Excerpts from the speeches of the five graduates:

My first high school was OK.  My second high school was a horrible experience for me – the worst in the world.  People didn’t like me or they didn’t like my older brother; they wanted me to join a gang; made fun of the way I speak English – whatever reasons, they were always picking fights and I fought back.  I went to my first three periods and then went home. I got tired of having to fight all the time.

Then I went to a boarding school. It was OK, but I wanted to live at home, so I left after a couple of months.  My mom looked for schools on the Internet and found Lake View Academy.

In the past I had not done homework. At LVA we had tons and tons of reading and a lot of boring books, but I did the work. I didn’t do my homework all the time but mostly I did it. I also got tons of help.  And I made a tugboat full of  friends.

It seems like it was just yesterday when I was a freshman starting high school, walking down the big halls nervously not knowing what to expect. Now with the help of God I am standing here years later determined, confident, and happy to graduate. I feel that Lake View Academy has helped me mature into the man I want to be. 

At the end of my junior year, my family moved to Chicago.  I decided to look for a school, and I turned to the Internet.  I contacted a number of public high schools, but none of them would take me since I was a senior.  Then I found Lake View Academy and visited it with my sister.  We both liked the school.  I was especially pleased because I understood there would not be much homework.  At my former school in Indianapolis, there was homework for every class, every day.

One positive change I made here was to bring up my grade point average.  One thing I have learned is that one can often solve a problem by looking more closely at what caused it.

I came to Lake View Academy because my parents said I had to come to school, to be around people.  For about a year before I came here, I was home-schooled, but I only earned one credit the entire year.  It was relaxing, working only one hour three days a week.  My first couple of years at LVA, I complained and grumbled about everything, which was normal for me.

This year has been better.  Probably because I’ve been a senior; the staff has been more relaxed with me.  Perhaps I’ve changed as well. I’ve made some friends among the students here and spend more time with them.   This makes coming to school more tolerable.  It’s nice to feel trusted – I’ve been given some important tasks and errands to do for the school this year. 

I attended seven schools and programs before coming to LVA.  Six were boarding schools.  Some of these programs, even most of them, I liked; at least one I hated.  Often I hated a place when I first arrived, until I got used to it and knew what to expect, but it was difficult being away from home.

I came to LVA and stayed for a year and a half, longer than any other school.  I liked it because it was close to home and there wasn’t a lot of homework.  Most important: the school was so small that it was easy to get help from my teachers at any time.  This is rare.

Even though I had my share of problems, I tried to be a positive role model for other students.  I encouraged them and  tried to help new students to adjust. I was generous and tried to help people out if I could.  Sometimes I called up my friends to wake them up and tell them to get to school.  This comes naturally to me, but I have been told that teachers and other students really appreciate it.

Career Exploration

As part of an English class project in February and March, students conducted a total of 32 interviews of adults in a variety of careers.  Students returned from their visits proud that they had successfully negotiated both the trip itself and the interview, inspired by the enthusiasm of the adults they talked to, and interested in the answers to their questions. We are very grateful to the adults who made this project a fun learning experience! 

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