Although I have not been a student at ACLC since I was in 6th grade, I have been in the charter school system since then. My freshman year was my first year at ACLC and was also one of the best. I found such a great sense of community here and was able to make some of the best friends I've ever had. Now, as a senior, there wouldn't be much I would be willing to trade this experience for.
PERSONAL QUALITIES, WORK HABITS AND ATTITUDES
ACLC has taught me so much about self-esteem and standing up for myself and for others. When I first started school at ACLC in ninth grade, I was always the one being spoken over and the one who got interrupted. Now, when I am interrupted, I speak up for myself and make sure that I speak in a way that is effective and lets me get my point across. I have also learned how to persevere through tough times in order to achieve a goal or do something even if it's something I would rather just leave until the last minute. My optimism allows me to see how things will be better if I get things done before I'm in a rush to finish them. I've always been one to float around and talk to anyone; this is a very important skill to have at ACLC because of the school's small size. Being able to make new friends and talk to people you don't hang out with often is always a good skill to have, but it's quite interesting seeing it applied to ACLC. Although there are seven different grades all in one school, everyone gets along and is able to have fun together. Hannah Camp is a very good example of this. After spending three days with the sixth grade class, the senior and junior counselors seemed much more approachable to the sixth graders and that has lasted throughout the year. Sometimes, if a sixth grader is having trouble with something, they will go to the older learners for help, this is an example of the social skill taught at ACLC that will likely be carried on throughout life. From the moment I entered ACLC, I was told to use my planner. I've noticed that as I grew older, I realized how important it really is to manage your time and keep track of tasks. I've learned how to manage my time in an effective and productive manner that allows me to make the most of my time. When you have more time to work on an assignment, you pay attention to what you're doing; this means that when you receive feedback, you are able to reflect on your work and figure out how to improve on it. Judicial Committee is a very important part of the ACLC community and is a great experience for all learners. No matter what side you're on, there is always a lesson to be learned. It teaches you how to take responsibility for your actions and how to accept the consequences of your behavior. It also teaches you how to stand up for others and enforce rules. Giving back to the community is something taught at a young age here at ACLC. Everyone is required to complete 20 hours of community service hours each year. This benefits both the community and the learner. Throughout my years at ACLC, I have been shown how to create a resume, how to apply my skills to the real world, and how to adapt to new environments. All of this will be very helpful in my search for a career and help me on my way into college.
NEW BASICS
ACLC is a very welcoming and efficient place for learning. Every class taken has a purpose that is fulfilled by the end of the class. English is one of the core classes and is arguably the most important. It teaches you how to read more adequately, how to write to reflect a specific purpose or intent, and how to analyze text in order to learn and dig beneath the surface meaning. The importance of mathematics and science are greatly expressed. Every year, there is a science fair that takes up most of the day and includes the entire school. This ends up being a fun experience for all learners and gives learners an idea of how they can apply math and science to the real world. Being able to speak in front of a classroom of a group is an important skill to have and ACLC does a great job of teaching learners how to do so. Inversely, listening is equally as important of a skill. Socratic seminars are a great combination of the two and give learners a chance to practice both skills. History gives us a sense of how things work and why things are the way they are today. This has been a very interesting class and has taught me so much about our society and the way things in the world work. Although I never took geography, the many moves of the ACLC campus have forced me to adapt to new surroundings and find my way around. Understanding political institutions and processes, civil rights and justice in a free society, and participating as a responsible citizen in a democracy are all important lessons. Learning how to manage my time also came in handy when it came to my nutrition and health in general. Having enough time to pack a lunch in the morning is a crucial part of high school unless you have the money to go buy lunch every day. During the years I've been at ACLC, figuring out how to get to school has always involved some sort of physical activity. Biking and walking have been my main modes of transport; the bus is also a great way to get around the island and is very easy. I have also done ballet for a few years and that has greatly improved my health and physical abilities. All you have to do is look around the center to realize how big a part of the community art is. Almost every wall is covered in art and projects done by learners. The emphasis on the importance of the arts is very present and is very noticeable.
THINKING SKILLS AND REASONING
ACLC is a place where everyone is learning how to learn, this creates an environment extremely conducive to effective learning and teaching. As different people learn in different ways, you have to be creative and figure out what style of learning works best for you. Decision-making goes hand in hand with how productive you are. You can choose to hangout with friends during free periods, or you can decide to do homework so you don't have to do it at the last minute. Although I may not always choose the latter, I always have the option to, which is one of the main reasons I came to ACLC. Understanding and appreciating the system in which we live and work is just as important as understanding variation and the importance of valid data for decision-making, and the steps for continuous improvement. These are all skills taught at ACLC and are helpful to all learners. Problem solving has always been my best skill. Most of the time, the supplies in the school are extremely limited or hidden behind lock and key. I have learned how to use a crayon, half a colored pencil, and a crumpled piece of paper as the materials for some projects and have been able to make it work. Improvising and adapting is a huge part of problem solving and because I have been doing it for so long, I have learned how to be the best at all types of problem solving. Organizing thoughts can be difficult, but getting those thoughts onto paper can be even harder. However, once you have something down, you can organize and process everything in any way you like. This is incredibly helpful for the science fair, as you have to organize everything: the data, the board, and your presentation. Having good reasoning skills can come in handy daily. Using logic to find the answer to a problem, or drawing a conclusion from a body of text is all affected by how you deal with reasoning.
INTERPERSONAL AND COLLABORATIVE ABILITY
Teamwork is one of the biggest parts of the ACLC community. Everyone is required to work together to solve problems, clean up messes, and be a cooperative community. Contributing your own ideas to a group discussion is one of the most important parts of teamwork and ACLC does a great job of teaching learners how to be a productive member of a team. As if teaching yourself wasn't enough, ACLC also makes it so that you have to help others learn, although this is a part of teamwork, it can sometimes slow down the group. Although not all learners have jobs where they have to learn how to serve others, everyone has helped out at a bake sale or helped run the senior store at some point. Leadership is one of the most prominent parts of the community. They do everything to benefit the community, learners and facilitators alike. Negotiations happen daily and are a very good way of learning how to make compromises and fight for your needs. Judicial Committee is also one of the biggest parts of learning how to negotiate. If you're trying to get out of a harsher consequence, you can always try to negotiate for your side of the discussion. I recently went to the east coast, and after returning, I realized a huge improvement in how diversity was treated at ACLC. Everyone is able to get along without discrimination or hostility. This is probably one of the mot positive parts of ACLC.
TECHNOLOGY
ACLC is one of the most technology-oriented learning environments I have been in. Unless you are completely unaware of how technology works, its quite easy to learn how to work with all the different kind of technology used in the school. Figuring out how to complete a project or assignment with computers that don't work half the time is one of the skills that every learner has faced at some point or another. By naturally knowing what type of equipment, what program, or how to do a simple technological task, you open up a door to success in your schooling and you make it easier and faster for you to complete an assignment or project. Given that the printers are constantly jammed or broken, solving technological problems is one of the best skills to have at ACLC. By simply learning how to clear a paper jam, you have the ability to save an entire period of learners for late work and worry over grades because they were unable to print.
PERSONAL QUALITIES, WORK HABITS AND ATTITUDES
ACLC has taught me so much about self-esteem and standing up for myself and for others. When I first started school at ACLC in ninth grade, I was always the one being spoken over and the one who got interrupted. Now, when I am interrupted, I speak up for myself and make sure that I speak in a way that is effective and lets me get my point across. I have also learned how to persevere through tough times in order to achieve a goal or do something even if it's something I would rather just leave until the last minute. My optimism allows me to see how things will be better if I get things done before I'm in a rush to finish them. I've always been one to float around and talk to anyone; this is a very important skill to have at ACLC because of the school's small size. Being able to make new friends and talk to people you don't hang out with often is always a good skill to have, but it's quite interesting seeing it applied to ACLC. Although there are seven different grades all in one school, everyone gets along and is able to have fun together. Hannah Camp is a very good example of this. After spending three days with the sixth grade class, the senior and junior counselors seemed much more approachable to the sixth graders and that has lasted throughout the year. Sometimes, if a sixth grader is having trouble with something, they will go to the older learners for help, this is an example of the social skill taught at ACLC that will likely be carried on throughout life. From the moment I entered ACLC, I was told to use my planner. I've noticed that as I grew older, I realized how important it really is to manage your time and keep track of tasks. I've learned how to manage my time in an effective and productive manner that allows me to make the most of my time. When you have more time to work on an assignment, you pay attention to what you're doing; this means that when you receive feedback, you are able to reflect on your work and figure out how to improve on it. Judicial Committee is a very important part of the ACLC community and is a great experience for all learners. No matter what side you're on, there is always a lesson to be learned. It teaches you how to take responsibility for your actions and how to accept the consequences of your behavior. It also teaches you how to stand up for others and enforce rules. Giving back to the community is something taught at a young age here at ACLC. Everyone is required to complete 20 hours of community service hours each year. This benefits both the community and the learner. Throughout my years at ACLC, I have been shown how to create a resume, how to apply my skills to the real world, and how to adapt to new environments. All of this will be very helpful in my search for a career and help me on my way into college.
NEW BASICS
ACLC is a very welcoming and efficient place for learning. Every class taken has a purpose that is fulfilled by the end of the class. English is one of the core classes and is arguably the most important. It teaches you how to read more adequately, how to write to reflect a specific purpose or intent, and how to analyze text in order to learn and dig beneath the surface meaning. The importance of mathematics and science are greatly expressed. Every year, there is a science fair that takes up most of the day and includes the entire school. This ends up being a fun experience for all learners and gives learners an idea of how they can apply math and science to the real world. Being able to speak in front of a classroom of a group is an important skill to have and ACLC does a great job of teaching learners how to do so. Inversely, listening is equally as important of a skill. Socratic seminars are a great combination of the two and give learners a chance to practice both skills. History gives us a sense of how things work and why things are the way they are today. This has been a very interesting class and has taught me so much about our society and the way things in the world work. Although I never took geography, the many moves of the ACLC campus have forced me to adapt to new surroundings and find my way around. Understanding political institutions and processes, civil rights and justice in a free society, and participating as a responsible citizen in a democracy are all important lessons. Learning how to manage my time also came in handy when it came to my nutrition and health in general. Having enough time to pack a lunch in the morning is a crucial part of high school unless you have the money to go buy lunch every day. During the years I've been at ACLC, figuring out how to get to school has always involved some sort of physical activity. Biking and walking have been my main modes of transport; the bus is also a great way to get around the island and is very easy. I have also done ballet for a few years and that has greatly improved my health and physical abilities. All you have to do is look around the center to realize how big a part of the community art is. Almost every wall is covered in art and projects done by learners. The emphasis on the importance of the arts is very present and is very noticeable.
THINKING SKILLS AND REASONING
ACLC is a place where everyone is learning how to learn, this creates an environment extremely conducive to effective learning and teaching. As different people learn in different ways, you have to be creative and figure out what style of learning works best for you. Decision-making goes hand in hand with how productive you are. You can choose to hangout with friends during free periods, or you can decide to do homework so you don't have to do it at the last minute. Although I may not always choose the latter, I always have the option to, which is one of the main reasons I came to ACLC. Understanding and appreciating the system in which we live and work is just as important as understanding variation and the importance of valid data for decision-making, and the steps for continuous improvement. These are all skills taught at ACLC and are helpful to all learners. Problem solving has always been my best skill. Most of the time, the supplies in the school are extremely limited or hidden behind lock and key. I have learned how to use a crayon, half a colored pencil, and a crumpled piece of paper as the materials for some projects and have been able to make it work. Improvising and adapting is a huge part of problem solving and because I have been doing it for so long, I have learned how to be the best at all types of problem solving. Organizing thoughts can be difficult, but getting those thoughts onto paper can be even harder. However, once you have something down, you can organize and process everything in any way you like. This is incredibly helpful for the science fair, as you have to organize everything: the data, the board, and your presentation. Having good reasoning skills can come in handy daily. Using logic to find the answer to a problem, or drawing a conclusion from a body of text is all affected by how you deal with reasoning.
INTERPERSONAL AND COLLABORATIVE ABILITY
Teamwork is one of the biggest parts of the ACLC community. Everyone is required to work together to solve problems, clean up messes, and be a cooperative community. Contributing your own ideas to a group discussion is one of the most important parts of teamwork and ACLC does a great job of teaching learners how to be a productive member of a team. As if teaching yourself wasn't enough, ACLC also makes it so that you have to help others learn, although this is a part of teamwork, it can sometimes slow down the group. Although not all learners have jobs where they have to learn how to serve others, everyone has helped out at a bake sale or helped run the senior store at some point. Leadership is one of the most prominent parts of the community. They do everything to benefit the community, learners and facilitators alike. Negotiations happen daily and are a very good way of learning how to make compromises and fight for your needs. Judicial Committee is also one of the biggest parts of learning how to negotiate. If you're trying to get out of a harsher consequence, you can always try to negotiate for your side of the discussion. I recently went to the east coast, and after returning, I realized a huge improvement in how diversity was treated at ACLC. Everyone is able to get along without discrimination or hostility. This is probably one of the mot positive parts of ACLC.
TECHNOLOGY
ACLC is one of the most technology-oriented learning environments I have been in. Unless you are completely unaware of how technology works, its quite easy to learn how to work with all the different kind of technology used in the school. Figuring out how to complete a project or assignment with computers that don't work half the time is one of the skills that every learner has faced at some point or another. By naturally knowing what type of equipment, what program, or how to do a simple technological task, you open up a door to success in your schooling and you make it easier and faster for you to complete an assignment or project. Given that the printers are constantly jammed or broken, solving technological problems is one of the best skills to have at ACLC. By simply learning how to clear a paper jam, you have the ability to save an entire period of learners for late work and worry over grades because they were unable to print.