"I chose to attend el Centro for one thing only…"

Good afternoon.  My name is Forrest Laws and I am a student at el Centro.  Over the past few days me and my fellow classmates have heard about the proposed cuts of all 13 Accelerated Schools in Philadelphia.  And el Centro is one of those schools.  The main reason why I am attending el Centro is because I have dropped out of a Philadelphia public school. I dropped out because of all the stress and lack of care from the teachers around the school. I chose to attend el Centro for one thing only…Respect.  From the first time I walked in, till this day, they have showed me the same amount of respect every day.  While I’ve been attending el Centro I have learned a lot about myself that I never knew I could do.  My Advisor, Helen, has pushed me all through the year of becoming the leader that I am now.