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The Kids

It's about the kids.

Sometimes, in the debate over how to fix our public education system, we lose sight of what’s important. Statistics are cited, talking points are repeated, and adults on either side of the issue dig in for a fight – after all, it’s our children’s lives at stake…there’s nothing more important to fight for.
 
But sometimes adults lose sight of this. Our interests become the focus, not the interests of kids. We forget that education is about children. It’s about their lives, their struggles, their hopes, and their dreams.

ACE has assembled photos and stories of just a few of the many hundreds of children we’ve served over the past decade to remind us all of this fact – kid’s first.  
 
Make a donation today and help ACE write many, many more stories like the ones here.
 

Real Stories About Real Kids

Meet Alberto

Alberto, a highly focused second grader, tells us that someday he wants to be a “fireman because they rescue people, or maybe a policeman who catches bad guys… and,” as he changes gears with a grin, “I have a pet scorpion.” 

His ACE teacher describes him as, “Amazing; very smart and always prepared. He’s up at 4 a.m. to arrive ready for school.” For Alberto, “the best thing about school is the learning, and my favorite class is science because we learn about nature [which may explain the scorpion] and I also want to be a geologist ‘cause I like cool rocks.” 

Alberto speaks nearly flawless English and Spanish (required in his bilingual school) and sports a better-than-second-grade command of Mestizo, a centuries-old blend of Portuguese and French, which he learned on his own.

Yet the deeper reality behind these eyes is that Alberto has lived most of his seven years in local shelters with his single mom – a stark contrast to the stable and secure world found within the doors of his ACE private school.

Meet Alfred

When we met Alfred, this four-year-old had just finished his “Pre-K” early childhood curriculum and was excited about kindergarten. He already reads at a first grade level and loves his teachers, along with the lunch that they provide every day.

Alfred’s ACE school serves an inner-city neighborhood suffering from a crime rate triple the rest of Denver; 45% of births are to single mothers. By necessity, this private school specializes in teaching kids whose angelic faces often belie a lifetime of trauma. In this case, Alfred witnessed the tragic suicide of his father.  

“He really needs the stability of our school,” explains his principal. “Alfred is being raised by extended family members for now and getting bounced from home to home. To be truthful, there are some days they simply fail to get him to school.

“Yet,” this veteran educator continues, “once instilled with a proper respect for self and others, along with appropriate boundaries and lots of personalized guidance, children like Alfred can learn to succeed, versus getting lost in a bureaucracy.

“While inner-city school ventures like this are not cheap, these young lives are well worth it.”

Meet Alaya

At the tender age of four, Alaya is learning to read in the pre-K class of her inner-city ACE private school. In fact, she says “I like learning because my teachers make it fun for me.” That’s good because Alaya already knows she wants to be a doctor someday, and a love of (years and years of) education will come in handy.

Alaya’s parents chose a private school that best matched their family values and their daughter’s needs. That’s the beauty of an ACE scholarship. We can already see the results in Alaya’s eyes; she’ll make a wonderful doctor!

In the meantime, Alaya tells us she needs to stay in school “because I have to learn – to go to kindergarten.”

Meet Angel

Five year old Angel tells us that the best thing about his ACE school is “learning art and music and playing basketball with my friends during P.E. We even went to a Nuggets game a long time ago.” (That’s Kindergarten-speak for early last season.)   
 
“I used to have a dog named Chulo,” he continues, “but he died and I was very sad.” It seems this five-year-old has endured more than his share of sadness. “Hehad an older brother who died and there’s never been any mention of his dad,” explains his teacher. Angel’s way of expressing how he copes is that, “My mom puts band-aids on me.”
 
“Angel had problems with social skills and fear when he arrived” says his principal, “but he has responded very well to the counseling that our staff provides.” It must be helping, because today he lights up as he says, “I like my school ‘cause I have lots of friends here.”
 
It seems that Angel’s mom has also struggled – with the ACE requirement to match her half of his tuition. But that has only motivated her to, “check with his teachers nearly every day to be sure Angel is doing his work,” says the principal. “And actually, I think it may be that mom feels safe here too.”  
 
We ask Angel what he wants to be when he grows up, to which he confidently replies, “President!” Well, a quality education might prove useful.

Meet Cynthia

Cynthia is a quiet fifth grader, but her passions are not far from the surface. “Well, I’ve got two dogs and a lot of fish and I like sports like basketball and volleyball, but I especially love music. I play both piano and guitar and I’ve always wanted to be a singer and play rock music when I grow up!”  
 
We’ve heard many of the students in her ACE partner school rave about the music program, and are a bit surprised when she adds, “…but, science is my favorite class. That’s because my teacher makes it so much fun. I also like this school because it’s easy to make friends here,” she continues. “But my mom chose it because they give a really great education. I’m in seventh grade now, and I’ve been at this school since kindergarten.” 
 
In fact, every ACE scholarship carries a four-year commitment that follows our low-income children to any private school in our network of nearly 200 schools. Of course, ACE has continued the scholarship beyond four years for every student that has asked since our founding in 2000. That way we’re not leaving our children behind, and we can better track graduation rates and ACT scores.
 
It’s also why students like Cynthia thrive academically, socially…and creatively.
 

Meet Xcellence

For a 4th grader, Xcellence already has some pretty big things figured out. “School is fun,” she says, “because I get to learn and get smarter so there won’t be a lot of bad things in my life.”

She sounds pretty smart already. “I go to private school because some other schools aren’t good places to go. My family wanted me to go to private school because some of them didn’t get such a good education when they were growing up.”

Xcellence plans on ending that cycle. With the academic rigor and structured environment of her ACE partner private school, she’ll do just that.

Meet Jahmai

Jahmai is an outgoing eight year old who has lots of friends, loves his dog Bear “who knows lots of tricks, but is lazy” and adores his teacher “because she helps me do things I don’t know how to do.”

Like most of the boys in his inner-city neighborhood, Jahmai loves sports, especially the Broncos, and wants to play in the NFL when he grows up. Oh yeah, he also loves his ACE private school “because math is so challenging – especially algebra.”

Yeah, you read it right; an eight year old who loves algebra.

This young man thinks he’s in heaven because of the opportunity to spend extended time in the computer lab where he has developed a love for math and science. Jahmai admits “I like to work on the computer because it allows me to concentrate and I can challenge myself to another level.”

We’re sure Jahmai will have no problem finding a second career after the NFL.

Meet Jody

Say "Hi" to Jody, a seven year old second grader in an ACE private school.

Like so many girls her age, Jody loves horses and wants to own one some day. In the meantime, she really likes that her “teacher makes science fun and is so kind and nice.” In fact, “nice” is also how Jody describes all the other kids in her school - even the boys.

Because her teacher is allowed to keep the classroom under control, students are consistently free to enjoy learning – and each other. That’s a private school attribute that has expanded the ACE waiting list to more than four times the number of scholarships we can award in a typical semester.

Kids are quick to pick up on these intangibles too. Jody knows that her parents chose her ACE partner school “because of its values.” For ACE, the value lies in providing a quality education to great kids like Jody.

Meet JoJo

JoJo is a well-rounded kid who loves math, volleyball, and the Rockies. The day we met her, she introduced us to Mr. Chavez, an extended family member who was visiting her ACE school. “He’s my ‘Nino’ which means godfather in our culture,” JoJo told us.
 
“I like to get involved in whatever she does” says Mr. Chavez, “because JoJo’s mom struggles with her health.” 
 
“My mom had cancer” JoJo explains, “and the doctor said she’d never have kids but then she had me. They call me the ‘miracle child’ and someday I want to be a doctor who helps other people. Private school will help me do that.”  
 
“She’s right,” says Mr. Chavez.  “I also went to parochial school when I was a kid and it’s like a big family. I gained lifelong friends and they develop better character in their students. Most of the kids in JoJo’s neighborhood are not learning half the stuff she is now. She’s also learning to use her time wisely and focus her energy. 
 
“This is the kind of environment that kids should grow up in, with self respect and respect for others.” 
 
 
 
 

Meet Luz

Luz (friends call her Luzy) just graduated from an ACE K-5 school this past spring, “but that’s not the end of the story” says her principal. “Luzy is the most proficient bi-lingual speaker in our school - ever. She speaks only Spanish at home, but you would have never known that English was not her native language. She reads voraciously at an eleventh grade level. Reading is actually her escape. Let’s just say she has stresses in her life.”

Luz is the youngest of four sisters. The older three have been diagnosed with clinical depression, as has their mother. When mom is stable, she gets Luz to school on time, but then mom is not always stable.

Grandma lives in the house, but is so feeble that she would not be able to move fast enough to intervene for the oldest daughter who is on constant suicide watch, so that responsibility often falls to ten year old Luz.

In the midst of this, Luzy anchors the family with her consistently bright and thoughtful demeanor. “On graduation day,” continues her principal, “mom was scheduled to give a speech to our board but was so entirely overcome with gratitude that Luzy had to finish the speech for her.”

It’s probably no surprise that Luz wants to be a psychiatrist someday.

Meet Michal

For a 5th grader, Michal (pronounced “Meeshal”) has already lived a lifetime: born in Pakistan, Michal and his family fled religious persecution and landed on the shores of the United States when he was just five.

“My father was a Catholic priest there, but we had to leave. He now works at 7-11 and Mom works at Walmart,” Michal tells us. “That’s why it’s good that I have a scholarship to a Catholic school here.”

Coming from such a background, it’s no surprise that when asked what he likes best about his ACE partner private school, Michal enthusiastically answers, “Everything!”

A love of everything is the byproduct of a journey that takes you from persecution to freedom. Michal now has freedom… and genuine opportunity to excel in school and become whatever he dares to dream.

Meet Nehemiah

We met Nehemiah while touring an ACE private partner school one day when we heard a tiny voice saying, “Hi, how are you?” His principal says this four-year-old is extremely bright. “Last year in Pre-K, Nehemiah was already reading and will go right to first grade next fall.

“Our students are high-risk by anyone’s definition,” continues the principal “yet because of our early reading skills program, our kindergarteners are reading at a higher level than 50% of first graders across our nation.”

In addition to rigorous academic preparation, this private school is able to provide major doses of love and consistently provides its kids with what they need to overcome both their social and academic deficiencies.

Even with the ACE scholarship that covers half the tuition, “Nehemiah’s dad has great difficulty managing the rest of the tuition,” the principal told us. “But this school is a perfect fit for Nehemiah and I always feel grateful when I hear that little voice outside my office.”

Meet Nikolas

Nikolas is a young man whose single mom has carefully explained why he’s in a private school. “She said I would get a better education here. And better teachers and classmates too. I like all my classes, but Social Studies is the best. Your scholarship really helps us.”

“My grandma lives with us,” he explains, “and has had four surgeries on her hip. Then my mom was in a bad car accident and it messed up her spinal cord. She’s disabled now and has had 13 surgeries. She’s having some problems again and just found out her back is still broken. I have to get ice packs for her constant pain.”

The principal of his ACE partner school confirms the story and explains that in addition to earning solid grades, the ever-cheerful Nikolas cooks, cleans and after dinner mows lawns to help the family make ends meet.

Nikolas has a personal goal to become a surgeon to help people like his mom.

He just turned ten.

Meet Pablo

This is Pablo, an energetic and bright six year old who says he likes his private ACE school because “it’s fun.” Actually, you can see it in his eyes – the fun just exudes from this kid.
 
Pablo tells us his mom sent him to this neighborhood ACE private school because “she heard it was good.” Pablo likes special study topics “because it’s fun.” He especially likes the field trips his class takes; you guessed it, “because of the fun.”

Yet when we asked this boy who seems to like everything what the very best thing about his school might be, Pablo quickly answered, “The kids!”

That tells us something about the discipline and balance at school when education is such a positive experience both academically and socially.

Meet Salma

As soon as we meet her, Salma is telling us all of her favorite things about school. “The best thing is playing soccer outside…and music…but especially art.” Then she smiles with a shrug, “Well, it’s fun to do so many things!”

She’s a long way from the girl she use to be. “Salma was painfully shy when she first arrived for kindergarten,” her ACE teacher tells us. “But today Salma’s confidence is blossoming and she’s thriving.”

Salma’s parents are also both quiet, but each day as they drop their daughter off at school they are amazed to see her run off to greet her friends. In fact, Salma is getting so confident that she’ll even speak on stage – in either English or Spanish.

When asked if she could go anywhere in the world, where it would be, Salma quickly replies, “To school – and someday I want to be a teacher!”

From a shy, reserved child to wanting to teach other children some day… that’s the power of a good education.

Meet Truc Anh

Meet Truc Anh, a high achieving fourth grader at an ACE school where her family moved her “because it’s safe.” We hear this often, but in this case “safe” means more than escaping playground bullies.

A few years ago, Truc Anh’s family left everything to flee Vietnam because their Catholic religion had created real conflict with the communist government. Lacking party membership, they would forever be denied benefits, such as education.

Desperate to gain freedom for her children, Truc Anh’s mother immigrated to Denver where she heard about ACE. Now we appreciate why Truc Anh repeats that her school “is peaceful and feels safe and they are nice and pay a lot of attention to you.”

It’s an especially great place for Truc Anh who tells us that “someday I’ll either be a doctor, or maybe a lawyer.” Sounds like a great return on our investment.

Meet Xionaga

This high-energy eight-year-old loves action sports and always seems on the edge of laughter. Xionaga (pronounced “Zionaja”) tells us, “I really like school, and especially music class because it’s fun to perform and I have the gift of gab – my mom told me that!”  But don’t pigeonhole him quite yet because he quickly adds, “I also like language arts because I like writing sentences and spelling.” 
 
Xionaja attends one of the original ACE partner schools in northeast Denver, founded by a veteran education innovator and disciplinarian who passionately preaches that, “Education is a commitment. If you run a school as a business versus a commitment to change lives, then something gets watered down.”
 
But if you think that approach is a relic of some educational past, don’t tell Xionaja: “I like school because it’s a challenge every day. I have to study hard and keep my name off the board for getting in trouble – or at least ‘earn’ it back off,” he says with a grin.  This kid’s gonna go far.

The Waiting List

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Children Turned Away

 

ACE can't accommodate every child who wishes for a better education.

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