Camelot Excel Students Featured in WVON’s ‘Getting Back on Track’ Radio Show
Raynard and Shawn of Excel Academy of Englewood in Chicago
Camelot’s Excel schools are giving teenagers the second chance that they need to get their diplomas. Picking up where they left off after dropping out or having problems in regular public schools, these students flourish under the Camelot model, which encourages specialized attention in the classroom.
Raynard and Shawn, who attended public school together before coming to Excel Academy of Englewood in Chicago, are two such examples of successful transitions. They will appear on WVON Radio’s Parent Revolution show on July 25 from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. to talk about their experience on the show “Getting Back on Track”.
“We got kicked out of school for, basically, fighting and gang troubles,” says Shawn. “I was walking around one day and I saw people outside Englewood, trying to recruit students, telling us about the school. And then one day, I was like, ‘I’m going to check it out, get my second chance, get my diploma.’”
Both boys noted that Camelot’s model of a small student-teacher ratio allowed for them to get the kind of attention that they needed this time around.
“It’s a family oriented place,” says Raynard. “Here, we see our staff and the directors as family, instead of just teachers. We are not a number here, they actually know our names and people watch over us. In a regular school, it’s too open, you’re just a number. But they actually really care about our lives here and really make sure we’re cool. After school, they make sure we get home safe, they make sure we go to college, they do everything for us. It’s great and it’s a different thing we didn’t experience at our other school.”
Both boys became Executives of Excel Academy of Englewood, meaning they’re the highest level of student government in the school. As Executives, they are expected to dress formally and act as liaisons between students and staff, helping those who need it and receiving direct feedback from faculty.
“When I first got here, I’d never thought I’d be around that now,” says Shawn, “I thought I’d just be running around, doing the same old stuff I was doing at the previous school, but then I really had to think that this could be my last chance, so why not take advantage of it and get my diploma and start anew, start my real life, like college and get my goals planned out? I didn’t think I’d be here right now.”
“I started with zero credits and I was just at the bottom,” says Raynard. “When I first came to Camelot, I thought, ‘I’m going to do good because this is my second chance. I’m going to take advantage of that. I know I’m smart, but I just need somebody that just to look after me and just be on me and make sure I go to the top and just watch over me.’ I never had too many people that said ‘Oh, Raynard you need to go to school, get good grades.’ They always told me, ‘Oh, you go to school but if you want to drop out, you can drop out.’ Here, they make sure you go to school. If you don’t go to school, they call your phone and they will show up at your dinner table. They push me and now, I graduated with honors, I was Mr. Camelot, I went on college tours, I have a network. I appreciate everything Camelot has done for us.”
Both Raynard and Shawn are attending the University of Northern Illinois in the fall. Shawn hopes to study business and engineering while Raynard is looking into studying business with plans to help the homeless.
“Camelot can help you with everything,” says Shawn. “They open arms and just give.”
