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Kimberly Turala’s story is like many of the success stories flowing from AISD’s new Hornet Academy these days.
As a child, she had dyslexia, which forced her into special classes.
“It caused me to hate school,” she said. At age 17, she dropped out of Azle High School. She almost completed her GED – but didn’t.
At age 25, with several unsuccessful attempts to complete her education on her resume, her confidence was at a low ebb. Then her husband, Eddie Huddleston, read in the Azle News about a new night academy at Azle High School that catered to the needs of dropouts. Turala decided to give it a try. She been achieving her goals ever since. “Your new program has given me a second chance,” she wrote to AISD superintendent Dr. Ray Lea in late January. “I thank you and the whole Azle High School staff that gave me this opportunity.” Kimberly is one of 13 former Azle High School students who walked across the stage to receive their high school diplomas in a special graduation ceremony held Jan. 19. Lea brought the alternative night school idea to the school board last spring. He said his former school district, Whitesboro ISD, had used the program with great success. Since Azle ISD had experienced more than 100 high school dropouts over the past 10 years, the board was open to the idea. A self-paced, computer-based program – soon to be called the Hornet Academy – was started in the basement of Azle High School. A handful of kids were included in the first graduating class last June. January’s class brought that number to 20. “It’s far exceeded our expectations,” Lea said. “And we’ve gotten outstanding community support.” At the January graduation Ray Ivey, AISD’s director of administration, talked about taking advantage of “second chances.” “We offered you a second chance – but you had to accept that offer,” Ivey told the graduates. “You made the commitment and made the bold, courageous move to take charge of your own learning. Day after day, you made it happen. “That’s what it takes to succeed in life.” Succeeding is something Kimberly really wanted to do. Devoting four hours a night – almost every night of the week – to the Hornet Academy, she finished in five months while missing only two days. Being an adult with two young children – Anna Faye, 5, and Faith, 3 – had given her a stronger sense of responsibility. A little stubbornness helped as well. “I’m a mother – I have to be,” she joked. And she got plenty of support from her family. Eddie kept the kids while she went to school. Her late brother, Kevin Benson, an Azle High School graduate “told me from the beginning that I was going to make it,” she said. Her father paid her gas to get to and from school. Many family members drove up from Houston to attend the graduation ceremony. With her diploma in hand, she plans to continue her education – perhaps in the medical field. “I proved to myself that despite the odds, I can succeed,” she said. “It has pushed me to better myself and my family.” Fellow graduate Ashley Kavanaugh has a similar story. Ashley was only three credits shy when she made the decision to drop out of Azle High. She would have graduated in 2001 – but she had other things to worry about. “I was pregnant – I had a baby,” she said. Ashley went on to land a job as a dental assistant. No one asked her if she had her high school diploma much or a college degree. None was needed. But she still felt a nagging desire to finish what she has started. The academy let her finish the program despite the fact she had turned 26. She said she is grateful. “It’s a really good program,” she said. “If I had it to do over, I would have finished high school. If I could offer any advice, it would be to stay in school.” The academy shouldn’t be looked upon as a way to escape normal high school life, she said, but as another chance for former students who want to do better. “Don’t do it (academy) for the wrong reasons,” she said. Ashley said she plans to continue her education and get into physical therapy. Azle ISD is already planning to expand the Hornet Academy to even more students. “There’s a waiting list,” Lea said. “That’s something that really concerned the board.” A new $1.8 million addition to Azle High School will house the Hornet Academy. It is scheduled for completion in August and will allow the district to double enrollment from 25 to 50. Lea expects more success stories to follow. He considers the dropout program he helped start at Whitesboro ISD to be one of the most successful programs he’s ever been involved with – and he expects even greater results from Azle ISD. “We’ve heard a lot of positive things about the academy,” he said. “It changes lives.” |
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