With graduation around the corner, Janae W., a former honor roll student at Sierra School of Antioch, is set to earn her diploma from Antioch High School with a 4.0 GPA.
Before transferring back to her home school during her senior year, Janae had attended Sierra School of Antioch since the sixth grade. There, she excelled
Janae’s first day of sixth grade at Sierra School of Antioch.
academically, making honor roll repeatedly. For Janae, academics weren’t her biggest challenge, her behavior is where she struggled the most.
Janae’s mother, Tiara, reflects that during the early days at the Sierra School, things were hard for her daughter. Janae’s behavior issues were not improving and she was called to the school every day but over time, with the support of Sierra School of Antioch’s staff, Janae made great strides.
“My daughter has grown tremendously,” said Tiara. “I really applaud the staff and her. She really made a change because they stayed consistent with her.”
Tiara stressed the importance of maintaining a close relationship with the school staff and how that played a role in Janae’s success.
“Get to know the staff. That’s the main focus. If you find a good staff, keep them close. Be in constant communication, she said. “I didn’t get updates only on bad days, I even got positive phone calls from Sierra staff.”
“They [her teachers] were always by my side to make sure I was good,” said Janae.
This is reflected in the relationship with a couple of her former teachers, such as Mr. Khiry Moore and Ms. Jackie Carvajal, who have become like extended family members. Tiara shared all of Janae’s teachers had tons of energy, empowered Janae by telling her she will succeed and they were positive every day. It showed that even outside of the home, someone actually cared.
Janae poses with her date for her senior prom at Antioch High School.
“Educators and gardeners have something in common. We are tasked to prepare the soil, plant seeds, and water them with the faith that one day there will be a harvest,” said Mr. Moore. “There is no guarantee that the seed will grow, but we vigorously nourish, care for, and attend to our gardens with the knowledge that consistency brings results. We celebrate Janae as our harvest. We have watched her grow, blossom and inspire. She is the product of what happens when parents partner with the school to achieve one goal: what’s best for our students.”
As a Sierra School of Antioch student, Janae’s favorite subject was computer science. She’ll continue her passion for the subject as a computer science major at Diablo Valley College and has dreams of working as an information security analyst.
Congratulations to Janae and her family. We’re excited about her continued success!