Angel Colon Rosa Holyoke Community Charter School

This is the story about how the Holyoke Community Charter School helped a young boy find happiness.

When Angel Rosa joined HCCS in 2010, he was in Kindergarten. Angel progressed smoothly through school, studying and doing his schoolwork until he was in Grade 5. In that year, Angel hit a roadblock when his father left him and his mother. Confused as to why his father was no longer part of his life, Angel started to struggle to connect positively with his peers and adults alike. He started acting out in school, often disrupting class to the detriment of his learning and others’.

From the moment Angel started to struggle, the HCCS staff mobilized to create a positive support system for Angel. They tried everything to help Angel make positive decisions; however, nothing seemed to work. That is until the school administration made the decision to invite Angel to attend the HCCS Student Life Training Camp in August 2016. It was an invitation that would change Angel’s life and teach him the value of making a positive contribution to school life.

Angel is now a student helper in his classroom. He is the Assistant to the SABIS Interactive Testing and Learning^® (ITL^®) Lab Coordinator and helps teachers with minor technical issues when in the lab. He understands and promotes the importance of being a prefect and safeguarding the academic environment in his classroom. His new attitude toward his peers, teachers, and the school is not only evident in his behavioral transformation but also his grades. Angel went from a 60% average to an 80% average, and as a result, he was recognized at this year’s Academic Award Ceremony as the Most Improved Student.

Today, Angel is a different person. He has gone from a student who gave his teachers a hard time and disrupted the class frequently to someone who is actively teaching others the importance of learning. Angel has become a leader who is motivating other students. He has learned to channel his anger into actions that make him feel productive and is now comfortable reaching out to the administration and staff at HCCS whenever he feels the need to.

Through the help he received at HCCS and his involvement in SLO^®, Angel got the support he needed to deal with the challenges in his life at home. Angel now knows that no matter what happens in life, HCCS will be there for him, actively cheering him on and helping him succeed.