East View Academy's mission is to foster a community of lifelong learners who are happy and proud, ones who are ready to change their world. When Adara Sears was asked about their recent accomplishment of "Student of the Month," this is what they had to say ...
Since I could remember, I struggled with math, finishing assignments and overall remaining focused. Throughout middle school, I was followed by my ADHD tendencies and couldn't figure out math for the life of me. Many teachers underestimated me because I would’ve rather had my nose in a sketchbook or walk around the hallways to calm myself down than be in a classroom setting. Along with being a punk and talkative student, many thought my hesitant attitude towards school was because of how I carried myself.
Eventually after my first few weeks of my senior year, I had finally given up, I couldn't do school, I had credits missing that nobody was prioritizing or putting me in classes for, and the thought of sitting in a classroom with thirty students all yelling over each other filled me with anxiety. I was ready to leave it all, go towards a GED or nothing at all.
When my counselor, Molly Bye at NHS, told me about EVA. I had never heard of a school that would put my goals first instead of a curriculum along with a choice to have a lab class rather than a group class. Though I will admit at first, I was still hesitant, I thought it was going to be like every other school and I didnt know anybody. Not even the first two weeks of me attending, I grew familiar with the staff and the students. EVA staff accepted me with open arms, they listened to me when I struggled, they encouraged me in ways teachers hadn't before, they also aided me in getting an ADHD diagnosis so I could get on the proper medications. They have been supportive of my personal life and band, even though it has nothing to do with my academics. The art teacher Shawn Hennesey gave me the opportunity of putting up an art installation and has gone out of his way to make sure every detail was allowed because he believed in me.
EVA students helped me realize that no matter what I looked like, no matter what I was interested in, that I would always have people rooting for me, even if I didn't know them. Now, EVA has given me resources to pursue a finishing trades school after high school, EVA has given me people to lean on and to support and is a welcoming place for people like me and it was one of the best experiences in school I’ve had.