I always knew my son had the ability to succeed at school, but with every new school year came the same familiar mantra Patrick doesn't apply himself Patrick isn't organized. Patrick is unprepared is easily distracted Patrick is disruptive. By the time he reached Middle School, the list was longer, and teachers were not as apt to exhibit much patience for Patrick's issues.

Despite being diagnosed with borderline ADHD in his fourth grade year, I was resistant to the idea of medicating my son and held out for four more years, until I was told I would have to withdraw him from his 8th grade class at the parochial school he attended. He was allowed to continue and finish the school year, due in part to a compassionate principal and by agreeing to put him on medication.

Unfortunately, in my son's situation, medication was only part of the equation. We tried numerous things over the years to help Patrick succeed at school, knowing of course, how essential a part this plays in a child's self-esteem. Counseling and after-school learning centers were employed, among other things. Nonetheless, by the time he entered High School, Patrick had more than enough screw ups under his belt to firmly cement in his mind and in the minds of many of his teachers that he was just that a screw-up.

By 10th grade, it seemed that Patrick no longer cared about school at all. We were asked to withdraw him from the Catholic High School he attended by the end of his first semester. At his new public High School, he was flunking several subjects by year-end, including English, which had always been his easiest subject in school.

Had I not heard about the program offered at Compton Academy, I am certain that my son's life, and ours, would be very different today.

Before enrolling him in Compton, I had all but resigned myself to the fact that not only would my son most likely never go to college, he would probably become a high school dropout. After hearing about the program offered by Compton Academy, I decided I needed to at least look into it a little deeper.

Immediately after my husband and I had our initial meeting with Laura Compton, I felt something I'd not allowed myself to feel for some time hope. Nonetheless, with my husband and I having already spent so much time (and money) in an effort to get Patrick on the right track, we were both skeptical as to whether or not this could be successful.

I am happy to say not only was our skepticism found to be unwarranted; our expectations were by far, surpassed.

The teachers at Compton proved to be competent, caring and compassionate, not only toward Patrick, but to our plight as well. Even more importantly, they found a way to reach Patrick and gave us renewed hope for our son's future.

With the help of his teachers and Laura, Patrick was able to make up the two sophomore courses he'd failed, while completing all of his junior year coursework in one year's time. The support and encouragement he received enabled him to start believing in himself. He took the SAT for the first time that fall, and despite not yet having taken Algebra II; he nonetheless managed to come away with a very respectable score.

Patrick graduated from Compton Academy last spring and now resides on campus, as a freshman at UNC-Charlotte. Presently, his plans are to become a High School teacher. Patrick says it is largely because of his experience at Compton that he chose this path.

My husband and I will forever be grateful to the teachers and staff at Compton Academy for what they did for us, and we would encourage anyone even those who are feeling (as we did) that they have tried everything, and/or are ready to throw in the towel, to make an appointment and go see the school for themselves to speak with Laura and the wonderful teachers and staff at Compton.

I can assure you it will be one of the best decisions you ever made.

ROSEMARY A. MACHEN
5008 Chestnut Knoll Lane
Charlotte, NC 28269