Jake Nations

I entered ACLC in the 9th grade of 2013. I did not know this then, but it was one of the best decisions I could have made in my life. Previously joining the community of ACLC I took a year at NEA during 8th grade and before that, went to Saint Joseph Elementary school for 8 years of my life (Kindergarten-7th grade). The aura at ACLC was a lot different from NEA’s and Saint Joseph’s, ACLC’s concept of learning hit me harder than bricks. It threw me in a spiral of confusion. I was so frustrated trying to understand the concepts of this school. Facilitators rather than “Teachers”, Learners rather than “Students”, and Project-Based rather than “Tests”. I have only been at the school for 3 years, currently in my junior year. With these 3 years, I have grown exponentially in multiple different ways and have been taught important life lessons and habits. These lessons are special to me because I know for a fact I would not have learned them anywhere else.

 

Personal Qualities, Work Habits, and New Determination

ACLC has improved me in many different ways and has given me a really special quality that I will never forget. This quality is Willpower. The ability to control thyself and to completely remove distractions. With this quality, I discovered a hunger for progress and self growth. ACLC gave me this quality during my Sophomore year and since then, I have not gotten a single B. ACLC also gave me several opportunities to improve with leadership, without actually joining the leadership class. Through Beavis and Diversity Day, ACLC gave me another quality that I never knew existed, nor did my peers, or my facilitators. I decided to teach a class during Diversity Day called “Into to the Stock Exchange”. I had to teach this class for 3 periods during the day and I poured my heart into it. Many people were impressed saying that “They discovered a new side of me”. After the 3 hours of teaching, I was completely light-headed and turned to a facilitator and asked how they were able to do this 7 days a week for 42 weeks. They laughed, but from that day on, I had massive empathy for all the Facilitators at ACLC. With the mechanics of project periods, I developed a trait of time management. With these project periods, I was also able to expand my learning outwards by taking college classes and doing extracurricular activities. All of these traits allowed me to enter a new phase of myself and built up my foundation in preparation for college.

 

New Basics:

Over the course of 3 years of being at ACLC, the standard of education. To understand multiple subject and to find its uses, to utilize it in a much different way. After the three years, ACLC has taught me these basics and so much more. It has broadened my horizons of the natural world in a scientific, political, and respectful way. By gaining the knowledge in classes and learning a little bit how the world works, it has giving me teachings on how to teach myself concepts and become more and more mature. I understand the United States civic and political world and it will prepare me for the upcoming voting of the next president. I have utilized math in the everyday world. A day doesn't go by when I have used math for a specific task or just for studying. The list goes on and on. I believe as an early graduate I have the prerequisites to step out into the world and could survive successfully. Japan will be my test. I will find out if the New Basic taught by ACLC will be enough or even more enough to successfully survive in a new environment.

 

Thinking and Reasoning Skills:

Before I came to ACLC, a part of my personality is to be observant and to think with spatial summation. After these three years, ACLC has excelled my talents, and I have used it so often in critical thinking problems and to visualize the steps needed to complete each task. I have had a lot of practice and without realizing it until now, it is really because of the framework that ACLC has. The skills that I have practice at ACLC I have also applied to the real world. I fully understand the system in which we live in and work and I intend to manipulate it to my own success. To have the ability to identify problems and their solutions. To be able to pick up a subject, without a teacher and successfully learn. To scheme new plans for the future and have a widened imagination. That’s what “Thinking and Reasoning Skills” are and I will have these skills for the rest of my days.

 

Interpersonal Abilities:

Before I came to ACLC, this area of expertise was solely lacking. I was not comfortable to participate as a team member, and I prefer to leave all leadership roles to other students. However, ACLC did not waste its time teaching me how to be a team member and even a leader. The diversity of the school and multiple opinions and backgrounds also taught me accept those differences. In negotiations, to find common ground and strive for progression. The concept of leadership was the hardest for me, as it goes against my personality as a quiet and observant person. In the past three high school years, there were a lot of moments when a form of leadership was required. So I stepped up and attempted to lead. Overtime, I gradually got better and better at exercising my inner leadership.

 

Technology:

Technology has become an essential in our daily lives. It is all around us whether we like it or not. Throughout my entire life I have breathed computer science and experimented with it in multiple different ways. ACLC had projected my knowledge and skills further, by showing me resources and organization to express my talents. At ACLC technology is a good part of the school. With the free use of computers, laptops, and cameras. It allows people to explore creativity and appreciate technology and to understand the future.

 

In march of 2016, I will be going on an adventure and throwing myself into the unknown. I will be essentially starting from square one in a new society with communication, culturally learning and adapting to technology. So why am I doing my senior project a year early? Well, before I officially go into college. I want to test my skills that ACLC has given to me, and that I have accepted gracefully as a learner. Let’s see if I can survive my study abroad trip in Japan for a year, shall we? Thank you ACLC for an amazing high school experience, something that I would not find anywhere else. I will move forward with the experiences and knowledge you have given me and I will never forget my time being there.