Students Graduate from Pasadena Special Education School

Students graduate from Hillsides Education Center, a Pasadena school providing special education to children needing individualized attention for emotional disturbances and learning disabilities like attention deficit disorder.

Graduation is a time when students look back at their academic and personal accomplishments as well as look toward their future. For five youth at Hillsides Education Center, a school providing special education to children needing individualized attention for emotional disturbances and learning disabilities like attention deficit disorder, graduation is not only a time to reflect, but a time to be thankful for all the support and assistance provided to them.

Many of these youth were told they wouldn’t make it to graduation with the choices they had made, but students strived to better themselves and reach their goals. With the support of the special education faculty and staff at Hillsides Education Center, some not only succeeded in their goal of graduating from high school, but are going on to get a college education.

John Price, a foster care student graduating from Hillsides Education Center, has not had a simple life. Spending years in the foster care system and being told he would never amount to anything, only made him stronger and more appreciative of the special education he was receiving at Hillsides. "I believe God has a plan for me," said Price, 18. "I'll be attending California State Fresno in the fall and am proud to prove all the people who didn’t think I’d make it here wrong."

"I look back on how unsalvageable my life appeared just a few years ago and I get so emotional because I am so unbelievably blessed to be here today," said graduating student Katie Merritt, 18, during the commencement ceremony. "At the end of the day, I believe that life is a series of choices and there is no such thing as a wrong choice if you walk away with a lesson learned." With all the choices she made and lessons she learned Merritt was excited to graduate from Hillsides Education Center and to have the opportunity to attend Pasadena City College in the fall.

Not only was the graduation an emotional time for youth, but for those family members that were able to attend. Dan Roten was extremely proud to see his daughter, Merritt, graduate. "Being at Hillsides, Katie has received support that has enabled her to accept responsibility for her actions and to have hope for her future."

These special education students have worked arduously to get to their graduation day. For some, making mistakes along the way delayed their future aspirations.

"No matter how hard you prepare or work for something, sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you want it to. Sometimes you make mistakes, and those mistakes are more valuable than getting it right every time because you learn what you are made of by persevering through those mistakes," said Hillsides Education Center Director Jay Bechtol. "Conversely, sometimes everything you do right results in everything working out right, and today I'd like to say that for these five students everything they’ve done has worked out right."

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About Hillsides Education Center: As a special education and private school founded in 1982, Hillsides Education Center creates a safe learning environment for students who require individualized attention due to severe emotional disturbances like ADHD or learning disabilities. To learn more about Hillsides Education Center, visit www.Hillsides.org.