Acceleration Academies_Spring2023_Pathways Magazine

ECTOR COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
At EAA, Sisters Find
the Calm and Coaching
They Need to Succeed
Walk into Acceleration Academies of Ector
County and you will find sisters Alliyah and
Kaisa Navarette hard at work on the courses
needed to earn their high school diplomas and
move in the direction of their dreams.
The sisters are close; Kaisa, 16, sometimes helps to
interpret for Alliyah, 18, who has a hearing impairment
and mostly uses sign language to express herself. But
make no mistake — Alliyah is the Big Sister on Campus.
“It’s easier for me to do one course at a time so I
can focus on it.” - Alliyah
“Oh yeah,” says Alliyah, raising an eyebrow and flashing
a wry grin at her sister.
Good-humored sibling banter aside, the sisters have
something important in common. Traditional high
school didn’t work for them, and they are creating
success for themselves with the flexible, personalized
education offered by EAA.
“I don’t like being around a lot of people. I get
anxiety,” says Alliyah. Her sister concurs, saying of
the crowded hallways and classrooms of traditional
school, “It was a lot of drama. I don’t want that.”
In addition to a challenging social dynamic, the sisters
say that it was hard to get the one-on-one help they
needed from teachers who were busy with a large
number of students. “I never felt I was comfortable
enough with myself asking for help,” says Kaisa. Her
sister added, “I needed more help from teachers.”
The sisters found their way to EAA, which works in
partnership with the Ector County Independent School
District to provide a personalized path to students who
had been frustrated in traditional settings. They found a
learning home in the open, airy space with a panoramic
view of Odessa; enjoyed the comfy, cafe-style seating,
and found the focus they needed in the quiet, studious
environment.
“I like being able to study by myself in a room,” says
Alliyah. “I don’t have many distractions.”
The Navarettes say EAA educators are always ready to
listen, coach and lend a helping hand. Alliyah credits
GCA Megan Whitty with checking in on her regularly
and helping her get past obstacles in her coursework.
Grammar is sometimes a challenge, she says, and
Whitty patiently works with her to clarify word meaning
and smooth out syntax. “She wants me to graduate.”
Kaisa struggles with geometry, but says math coach
Jennifer Rosario-Perez works patiently with her
to break down the problems and help her master
the material. “She’ll go over it, she doesn’t get
impatient with me,” she says. “Whenever I feel like
I’m aggravating a person, I’ll quit.”
Rather than juggling multiple courses in a traditional
school, they and their classmates at EAA are able to
take one course at a time, demonstrating mastery
before moving on to the next. Says Alliyah, “It’s easier
for me to do one course at a time so I can focus on it.”
Alliyah is hoping to graduate this summer and move
on to cosmetology school. Kaisa likely has a couple of
years to go, but then sees herself going on to college,
getting a good job and living a quiet life. Both are
grateful for the way EAA is helping them to reach their
goals.
Alliyah says simply, “I want to graduate.”
16 Pathways | Spring 2023