Molly Gregg said she needed a second chance when her first shot at high school didn’t work out. She got one at Second Start and made the absolute most of it.
Gregg and four of her classmates – Alita Davis, Trent Cassin, Chris Breau and Nick Clough – all graduated from the alternative high school program in Concord on Friday.
They each came into the program at different times and facing different challenges, but in the end they shared the same stage in the Concord High auditorium, proudly showing their certificates as friends and family cheered them on.
For Gregg, it was the culmination of a journey that began with her joining the program as a sophomore. She had one half of a credit and didn’t think she’d ever graduate high school.
“I was on probation and just getting in trouble a lot,” said Gregg, 18. “I think most teens deserve a second chance, and getting into Second Start is probably what got me to get it done.”
Asked what it is about Second Start that helped Gregg accomplish her goals, she said it’s everything: the small class sizes, the patience and respect of her teachers, and the close bonds that develop between students.
Everyone at Second Start is on a first-name basis, whether you’re a student new to the program or the principal. It’s that kind of environment that helped these graduates reach new heights, said Second Start Principal Bill Mealey.
“For our kids, who generally feel like they don’t have a place in the world or feel disrespected, it gives them a level of respect from the bat,” he said. “We’re leveling the playing field like ‘We’re in this with you.’ It’s not ‘us and them.’ Everything flows from that.”
Mealey spent 20 years as a special educator before he became principal at Second Start three years ago. He said the emphasis of the school is to engage a student showing behavior or experiencing an emotional moment by “processing it and digging deep.” Being punished rarely teaches anything, he said.
“A lot of the time it’s hard and takes deep work and a long time, but eventually it gives them a whole new perspective on how to live life,” he said. “They start to own it and become empowered. They become better thinkers. They become more cognitive and less emotional.”
One by one, each student went to the stage to receive their certificate from one of Second Start’s teachers, followed by a long hug. It’s a more intimate ceremony in this small setting.
“Every one of them has their own story and every one of them is a long story that took a lot of work,” Mealey said. “I did 20 years in public education before I came here, and those graduations become routine. These are not. Every year it’s extremely emotional because we come to love these kids like they’re our own.”
Gregg, Davis, Cassin and Breau all have the option to walk with their class at Concord High’s graduation on June 15 if they choose.
Clough, who is working toward becoming an electrician, is graduating from Merrimack Valley.
Gregg is heading to NHTI in the fall to study criminal justice. Before she gets there, she’ll join her classmates at graduation to receive her diploma, something that seemed like an impossibility to her just a few years ago.
“I’m so happy I get to graduate with my class,” she said. “It feels like a real accomplishment.”
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3321, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)