Why the Community School is Important to You...

"If I never came to HECS, I would be in jail or in a gang just trying to survive. Waking up to go to school and not even learn is just pointless. That's what school was like for me. But HECS is like a home, a safe haven, a paradise of learning. To know that there are teachers and people that care about you and your life makes you want to keep moving forward instead of getting knocked back."
JD

"I'm not sure where I would be if I stayed in my old school. I would have different friends, a different life, I may have dropped out. There's a possibility I wouldn't even be alive right now. Going to HECS actually helped change the direction of the life I had. There's a much better vibe in this school. We are allowed to talk about what's on our minds and that's a privilege. In regular school, you can't simply walk up to a teacher and talk, but here you can. And they things they say actually help. I'm comfortable being here. We're all like a big happy family."
DA

"I think everyone deserves a second chance. HECS is a place that offers that for kids. If I wasn't here I probably would have dropped out. But now I have a chance to graduate and I will even be graduating an entire year early."
AZ

"You grow up being told that you won't get anywhere if you don't get a diploma. What happens when the education provided for you is not working? Where are you supposed to go when you give up on public education or it gives up on you? HECS will give you the second chance to finish high school, you just have to want it."
MH

"Being at Harriet Eisman makes me see the finish line to my goals in education. Now my future has a purpose."
JL

"This school has helped me be able to continue on with my life because without HECS I would not have a chance to get my high school diploma.
I left my high school many years ago because it just wasn't working for me. They had me in special ed, telling me I wasn't competent enough. One day a friend of mine went for his GED and passed. When I asked him how it was he told me it was easy. I asked him to share some of the math problems on the test and I couldn't even get one right. I had been out of school for so long that I felt like I lost a lot of knowledge. Another friend told me about HECS, so I gave it a shot. I got accepted and I haven't stopped because without a diploma you are going to struggle through life. HECS has helped me more than anything in the world. Thanks to Juli for allowing me to attend this school. It is very comfortable for me to come here. This was my last shot and it turned out to be my best shot!"
BM