Editor’s note: This article is sponsored to you by Mansfield Interactive Media and Construction
Demetria Rucker grew up homeschooled as a personal choice. Once she got to the ninth grade, however, she and her parents decided to give public school a try and she enrolled at Mansfield Senior High. Unfortunately, she quickly learned it wasn’t the right experience for her.
“I was always falling asleep or felt like I wasn’t getting the help that I needed with certain stuff. I didn’t understand certain things,” Rucker said.
When Rucker flunked all of her classes both her junior and senior year, she knew she needed a change in order to graduate.
Instead of going back to homeschooling, Rucker opted for a smaller classroom environment that could pay attention to her specific needs and give her more attention individually. She enrolled at Mansfield Interactive Media and Construction (IMAC) from 2014 to 2015.
IMAC is a social, emotional learning environment that keeps students on the right track with a success plan. The overall mission is to provide a pathway for life-long career/educational pursuits and employment opportunities, according to the website.
When Rucker first attended, she noticed the more intimate and personal vibe to the school.
“There weren’t a lot of students, so it gave me a lot of time with extra help from teachers,” Rucker said. “They sat down and made sure I understood everything and helped out where they could so I could graduate on time.”
Another thing Rucker appreciated was the amount of flexibility she had with her schedule as she was working as a hostess at Roosters at the time.
“It was an easier experience for me,” Rucker said. “I wasn’t really that great in school, but IMAC gave me a lot of time to get the actual help that I needed.”
Rucker soared through her classes and caught up to her graduating class in time to walk across the stage alongside them. Afterward, she joined the military and has been serving in the Navy as a second-class petty officer. This fall she plans on going to college in a school in Virginia to earn her nursing degree.
“IMAC helped me out a lot. I don’t think I would have graduated at all if I didn’t go,” Rucker said.
Cassandra Dailey is a former student of IMAC as well who graduated in 2008 and earned her STNA license. She worked in a nursing home by the time she graduated.
Growing up in public school, Dailey said she always felt like she was “in it by herself” and overwhelmed, which eventually affected her morale toward school. Becoming a student at IMAC was one of the best decisions she ever made.
“When I came to IMAC, it was different,” Dailey said. “They understood that I was completely overwhelmed. They understood that I was 17 years old and working a full-time job and they met me where I was, and they never made me feel bad about the fact that I was super exhausted.”
With a flexible schedule, Dailey could work full-time, doing a couple of hours of school in the morning and finishing at night. Because of that and the support she received from the school, she graduated early.
After taking a few years off from school and working full-time in the nursing home, Dailey went to college and earned her degree in psychology with a focus on adolescents and children’s psychology. It was then that she realized how much she would’ve loved to work in a school like IMAC.
“I remember the impact that IMAC had, and I just thought, ‘I want to make that impact,’” Dailey said.
The stars aligned and now Dailey is working as a student success coach at the school. Dailey facilities at IMAC by making sure that the students are on the correct path to graduation, taking the right classes and paired with the right mentorships.
Over the years, IMAC has been perceived as a school for “bad kids,” however, Dailey says that’s a false misconception.
“We don’t really believe in the whole ‘bad kid’ thing in general,” Dailey said. “I don’t really think that there are bad kids, period. And we don’t like to use that language. Our school is for any child eighth through 12th grade who wants a flexible schedule, wants to be surrounded by staff that cares about them and who wants an individualized approach to their education.”
Using the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBS) approach, many children have achieved beyond what they ever imagined they would at IMAC. The strong support system provided by staff, as well as their belief in growth, encourages students to look beyond a narrow scope and continue to improve.
“We don’t want our students just to graduate and get their diploma and then go into the world largely unprepared,” Dailey said. “The growth mindset is us telling our students that where you’re at right now is not where you have to be forever. It’s the power of ‘yet.’”
IMAC is currently accepting new students. To learn more, visit https://www.mansfieldca.org.
