Community Building Day Reflection

On-Track Academy is not an alternative high school. It is a place where students can thrive if the traditional high school setting does not fit their needs; for example, if students are the primary caregiver or even breadwinner in their households. It seeks to prepare students for what’s next in their lives through providing an authentic learning environment. Whitworth came to On Track Academy to build community with students and discuss with them the fact that there is life after high school, and college is definitely an option even if it seems out of reach right now. Our service contributed to On Track high school because it showed students who may have come from harsh backgrounds that they are supported, and that others are standing behind them wanting them to succeed. That is what “Community Building Day” is all about—we were there to step outside of our “Whitworth bubble” and sought to make others in our community feel like they are valued here, and in this case, that they have bright futures. I really enjoyed hearing stories from On Track kids about what excited them about the prospect of attending a university, and what was intimidating about. The girl I was partnered with wasn’t sure if she wanted to attend college yet and was still deciphering what she was interested in, and it was awesome to get to sift through her options with her and discuss which of her passions could become a career. She had hated her old high school and was hesitant to make a commitment to college because she was afraid it wouldn’t be like On Track. We explained all the ways college was different than high school, but I was impressed with the fact that she was really passionate about coming to school with On Track. I was surprised to see all of the creative opportunities I missed out on in high school! I was amazed with the amount of activities On Track had created that were geared more towards right brain stimulation, and it was very obvious that teachers wanted students to think outside of the box more than they wanted students to “get the right answer.” I was so impressed with On Track and was grateful to have had the opportunity to experience the impact it has on students first hand.