Some kids may be fascinated by the gang lifestyle and love the rush and adrenaline of breaking the law, according to Robert Ontiveros, former gang member and CEO of Community Wraparound, a nonprofit in San Diego that focuses on mentoring to keep teens out of gangs.
For almost two years, Jayvon had been without a place to call home and often slept in a park. The park as it happened, was across the street from a Learn4Life high school.
This week, 16-year-old Joey will sleep in a soft bed, take a warm shower and have a place to keep his belongings. He’ll then make his way to our San Diego school where he is catching up on credits and hopes to graduate soon. For most of the past year, he has experienced homelessness – […]
After years of multiple suspensions at her previous school, Shanelle enrolled at Learn4Life at the age of 13. During her sophomore year and only 15 years-old, she found out she was pregnant. Two years later, her mother and only family support passed away from cancer and she was forced to take time away from school […]
Yes, the pandemic created huge learning losses for millions of students, so what’s being done about it? “We work with many students who used to come to us as freshmen reading at a fifth-grade level,” explained Kathyrn Limata, literacy teacher. “Now, most of the students I see in my literacy classes are at a third-grade […]
Traditional school for Matthew was challenging. In middle school, students would often pick on him. He tried hard to avoid these situations and instead focused on himself and his education, but it was always a difficult distraction. He was ready to start fresh in traditional high school, but then felt held back from opportunities that […]
Vinaya has a happy and supportive family, and she loves to spend time cooking and watching movies with them. But in high school, she found it hard to focus while sitting in classes all day and dealing with bullies, and she began to fall behind in credits. She knew that she needed to earn her […]
Growing up around rampant drug use, instability at home and bullying at school is a too common reason high school students give up and drop out.
“What makes a person become better than they once were? Is it the need to achieve something they are unable to obtain, or is it the need to escape a life they no longer want to live? The need for change might be different, depending on the person.
Aspen A. was a good student and enjoyed school – until she got to junior high and was a target of physical and mental bullying. She dreaded going to school and started skipping class. Knowing it would only get worse in high school, her parents had her transfer to Learn4Life where she found a safe […]