Kevin Williams, a junior, began at Pathways at the Northwood program and moved to Springville halfway through his freshman year. He struggled to keep up with his studies and lacked confidence both academically and socially.  He was reluctant to try new things and even more reluctant to ask for help.  He seemed discouraged and frustrated.

Then, two years ago, his teachers and therapist persuaded him to try horseback riding in the therapeutic program in which Pathways participates with the Rock

Kevin Williams with blue ribbon at therapeutic riding, accompanied by Dr. Helen Williams and his Pathways teachers Victoria Westbury and James Greene

Creek Horse Stables.  He discovered in himself a love for horses and was more and more motivated to learn everything he could about them, far more than just how to ride
--although he began to excel at that.  From then on, his outlook began to change.  The staff at the therapeutic riding program, as well as his therapist and teachers at Pathways, encouraged him in his enthusiasm.  His self-esteem grew and had a positive effect well beyond riding.

He began to work harder on his academic goals, moving toward a spot on the highest honor roll and receiving the "perseverance award" in the third quarter.  He slowly emerged from his shyness to run for student leadership positions, and became Sergeant at Arms for the Student Government Association and Financial Manager of his classroom.  More and more, he came to trust his teachers and therapist, and was eager to cooperate with them and his fellow students.  As his confidence continued to grow, he became an active volunteer in the community at the SHARE Food Warehouse and was an outstanding assistant at Springville's Back to School Night and Halloween Madness.

While Kevin has experienced increasing success in many areas, in the area of horses and riding he continues to shine.  For his culminating project in English, he wrote and designed a manual on the anatomy, physiology and care of--of course--horses.

The student achievement award write-up on Isaiah Allen reads, "...he came to us a fighter,"... that was three years ago, when his beginning at Pathways-Edgewood was tough.  Isaiah was a troublemaker, and a frequent visitor to the Principal's office.  He covered his insecurity with swagger and excuses.  The therapists and teachers at Pathways set about the long project of building trust with Isaiah, developing and implementing strategies to help him be successful in his school work and activities.

He gradually saw that Pathways-Edgewood staff believed he could settle down and achieve something, and he started to come around.  As year by year he moved closer to the end of his time at Pathways, he declared a stronger work ethic and a renewed focus on his goal to graduate.  It paid off.  His GPA rose to a 3.0 and his attendance improved dramatically.  He still faced challenges academically, but now there were no excuses.  He simply said, "I need to work harder."

He worked hard socially as well, schooling himself to walk away from conflicts and stay focused on the tasks at

hand.  His growing self-responsibility in both his

Isaiah Allen holds his completion award at the YEP luncheon. With him are Pathways-Edgewood Transition Coordinator Anthony Hamm and Charlie Grant and Kevin Logan from YEP.

academics and behavior allowed the Pathways staff to recommend him for the Young Entrepreneurship Program (YEP), which seeks to give young people skills and confidence to build their own businesses.  YEP emphasizes integrity, morals, ethics and humility as a basis for sound and solid business decision-making, and Isaiah did well in the 12-week program.

The student with a reputation for being difficult is now sought after to participate in a range of activities.  He has become a frequent and consistent worker, both on volunteer assignments and on the Edgewood Work Crew and is now a go-to student when there is a need for a reliable person to complete a difficult task.  His insecurity has changed to confidence and his stubbornness to politeness and respect.

Flag football in full swing

June 2, 2011 dawned clear, warm and sunny, perfect for a field day!  Students and staff from four Pathways programs were in good spirits as they arrived at Heurich Field in Hyattsville for a friendly cross-site flag football game and some footraces. Opportunities for several Pathways programs to meet for a common activity are rare, and the schools were looking forward to being together.  The teams (Northwood-Edgewood and Springville-Crossland) quickly got organized, and the match began.  Refs from a local sports organization monitored the play objectively and kept things good

humored and fun.  Behavior on everyone's part was above par, as was the quality of play. The game was close, with Springville-Crossland edging out Northwood-Edgewood, 13-12.  The day wasn't only for fun and games.  It was intended to demonstrate the positive possibilities of a choice for a healthy lifestyle: exercise is fun!

Students were given a brochure about physical activity and nutrition. As they rested after the game, eating lunch together, they talked and laughed, having just experienced one of many enjoyable ways to keep moving and stay fit.  Field Day 2011 was a success, and no doubt will be added to Pathways' list of favorite closing events for the school year.