Cassata Education Extends Far Beyond the Classroom

Last night was the annual fundraiser for the high school where I have interned this semester. Cassata High School is a very special place. From the outside, it is a very mundane concrete building that is unrecognizable as a school, except for the sign. When I first visited the school for my interview, I knew it was a unique place, but through research, interactions, and my time there I have realized even more what an impact it makes on students’ lives. Cassata is for students who have not thrived in traditional schools for various reasons and hardships. Students attend 3 hours per day and have individualized learning plans, which empower them to finish coursework on their own. The teachers are also unique and care about the students beyond their coursework, and their empathy extends into the students’ lives.

Their results extend far beyond increasing students’ self-worth. Last year, 94% of graduates attended college, trade school, or enlisted in the military. This also saved the economy millions of dollars, because of how much high school dropouts cost taxpayers. But, beyond the results, we have to remember these are real teenagers, not statistics. Often it’s easy to get lost in stats and getting desensitized by over glorified news reporting. We see cases of gangs, suicides, schools failing, and crime so often that it doesn’t really mean anything unless we know the person. Last night, two students shared their stories. One of them talked about being in a gang because no one in his family was very involved in his life and he had no role models. Although I didn’t hear the whole story, he became incredibly unhappy and someone led him to Cassata, where he is graduating this year and is attending college next year. Another student talked about his drug addiction and that after overcoming this, Cassata has transformed his life. He is also attending college next year. All of these stories tie back to my experience at Angola. I often think about the paths of inmates that led them to prison and what could have made a difference. Some of the students were on similar paths and luckily someone intervened.

The interactions I have witnessed and stories I have written that allowed me to interview students and faculty have shown me what a difference a family-like atmosphere and accountability makes. Someone who I had written about and has been a strong supporter of Cassata since its inception in 1975 stood up last night and offered to match any gifts up to $50,000. Within 5 minutes the approximately 150 people at the event donated over $53,000. After hearing these powerful stories and seeing the transformations, the donors were moved and realized that Cassata is a microcosm of what we need in the world. Although this is not a full solution to our education woes, we should takeaway the notion of seeing each gang member, depressed teen, and people with drug addictions as people not statistics. Most students would like to have high ambitions in life and just need that one person to believe and encourage them.

So as I get engulfed in finals, I have to remember that a mere 2 miles away is a small building in an impoverished area with a couple hundred transformed teenage lives and how grateful I am that many, (too many to count) people believed in me and helped me get where I am today. Go forth, and be that person who believes and encourages someone today. If you live in Fort Worth and would like to volunteer, Cassata always needs mentors and tutors: www.cassatahs.org