My name is RayAnn. I am 17 and I am a junior. I used to go to a high school in Fort Collins. The reason why I am at this school is because I didn’t go to class or turn in my work because it was too hard for me so they dropped me.. I didn’t go to school for 2 months. I didn’t even want to go anymore. I didn’t want to graduate. I just wanted to find a job and work all day. What changed my mind about going back was that my mom and dad never graduated so I just wanted to do this for them and succeed in life and find a good job. When I heard about 2 Hearts and that they could help me catch up, and graduate on time next year, it changed my mind.

I love coming to this school. It helps me a lot. I get everything done on time and they explain things so I can learn better. Wendy is the best for giving me this opportunity to come here. What I want to do after this is graduate and go to college and be a nurse and follow my dreams. If you dropped from school, I think that you should come check this school out because it’s the best to catch up or even get your GED. They help a lot. So everyone should come.

My name is Anna, I am 17and I came from RMHS. I first heard about this program from my counselor. She told me the program was great for people who aren’t interested in school, such as me. I thought it would be a good idea because I hated school. I had all D’s and F’s and wanted to have a fresh start. I like the fact that 2 Hearts is such a small school so I can get a lot of attention and extra help on classes. Wendy teaches us a pace that is easy to understand. It is a safe environment with no drama. Everyone treats each other with respect and no one gets left out. 2 Hearts is an easy going school and it did it for me. I have all A’s and B’s and am currently working towards getting my GED. I am going to go to Front Range Community College next year and pursue a career in psychology.

My name is Emmalee and I am 17 years old. My experiences in normal school were not the best. I was always the shy kid. I hated going to school because the teachers didn't even try to connect with me and find out why I wasn't doing well or why I wasn't showing up. I was just another kid in the sea of students. Coming to 2 Hearts has changed my outlook on schooling. I now realize that school is school and must be taken care of. You don't get to pick and choose your education. I enjoy coming to 2 Hearts because Wendy connects with all of us and no kid gets left in the shadows. I really want to finish my high school education, that is my number 1 goal. After that, I want to continue my education through college. This school is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I feel honored to be here. This school has changed my life for the better and I am thankful every day for that.

My name is Jericho and I am 17. My experiences in school were that I didn't really like to go to school. I would kind of do bad in grades and I would have a lot of absences in my classes. I had a hard time doing the work and getting it done. My experiences in 2 Hearts are that I like it because when I would come to school every day and would get the work done because the teacher would help me if I didn't understand something, she would explain it to me. After I get done with school at 2 Hearts, I plan to go back to regular school, graduate and get my diploma. After that I plan on going to college to learn the automotive field.

The spring semester of my junior year I made some mistakes that had a large impact on my grades and ability to get credits. I was told I had no way of passing most of my classes if I didn't  change what I was doing fast and get into summer school. I would not be able to graduate with my class. When I went to my counselor to ask about summer school, I was told  it was going to be expensive, even on free and reduced lunch. My family has a had a hard time financially for the past 4 or 5 years adn although I know they would pay for regular summer school they they absolutely had to, I was not going to make them pay over $200 dollars and not be able to put the money into the house where it belonged. Then I was told someone was offering free summer school. I jumped at the chance to be able to catch up on my classes and get my credits for free. I could complete the classes I needed and not worry about my family not being able to pay bills for the month. The mistakes I made were dumb. At the time, I thought I had found something better to do with my life than go to school. Class just didn't seem important. I skipped a few times and got away with it, so I started to think I could do it more. But the more I got away with it,the more I was falling behind. Once or twice I tried to catch back up but I had lost all of my motivation to succeed. I do not plan on ever coming back down this road again because in the long run, it caused more trouble than the amount of fun I thought I was having. This school has become my second chance. I have not missed one day. I can come here and learn new habits that I can use in the next school year.  -BM