2017-2-16 Save Roosevelt academy

[0:00 - 0:09] Hey everyone, some of you might know me, some of you might not, but for those of you that
[0:09 - 0:14] went to Roosevelt Academy in Polk County, Florida, you might remember me. My name is
[0:14 - 0:20] Chance Wilkins. I dated Stephanie Johnson. You know, you guys know me and I went to Roosevelt
[0:20 - 0:27] with y'all, but we got a serious issue going on. The school board of Polk County, Florida
[0:27 - 0:37] is threatening to take out sixth grade in Roosevelt Academy. And this message is also
[0:37 - 0:48] going out to the Polk County school board. You guys don't understand the opportunities
[0:48 - 0:54] that are given there at that school. I went to Roosevelt Academy. It opened up an immense
[0:54 - 1:02] amount of opportunities there for me, which I gladly took. And those opportunities that
[1:02 - 1:10] I was given, yes, I took and gladly so, but I also learned a lot of what I know now about
[1:10 - 1:17] marketing my own stuff and about getting my name out there because I do do music. I learned
[1:17 - 1:25] a lot of that growing up through Roosevelt. A lot of the marketing tools that I now use
[1:25 - 1:33] daily, I learned from them. You guys don't understand the camaraderie and the family
[1:33 - 1:49] ship that that school has. Like my good friends, Crystal White, Marcus Morales, and his girlfriend
[1:49 - 2:03] Rachel, Jackie Victor, and Jackie Victor Archer, Mr. Smith, Ms. Bell, Ms. Boyd, Ms. Edwards,
[2:03 - 2:14] Mr. Riser, Officer Fowler, Ms. Glockner, and of course the one child you miss, Johnny.
[2:14 - 2:24] We're all like family. We're all family there. You cannot take out the school's sixth grade.
[2:24 - 2:31] You'll be ruining a lot of kids' opportunities who can't afford a regular education. Yes,
[2:31 - 2:38] I get they need to be put into regular classes, but why don't you do that there? Give them
[2:38 - 2:43] the same education there that they would get at a regular school. Give them that opportunity
[2:43 - 2:52] to get a normal education. Do not take out the sixth grade because when you do that,
[2:52 - 3:00] you're ruining a lot of opportunities. You're ruining a chance at them having a normal life.
[3:00 - 3:06] One thing you guys don't understand that I have faced before myself is a lot of bullying,
[3:06 - 3:13] and I mean a lot. You take this away from these kids. You take that sixth grade away
[3:13 - 3:18] from them, and you throw them into a regular school where they don't belong. They're going
[3:18 - 3:27] to get bullied and ridiculed, and it's going to ruin them. You guys don't understand just
[3:27 - 3:32] how much of a safe haven Roosevelt is for a lot of these kids, just like it was for
[3:32 - 3:41] myself. Yes, I had my regular home. Yes, I had a normal life at home, but I also had
[3:41 - 3:49] a home there at school. When I went to Roosevelt every single day, I felt like I was at home.
[3:49 - 3:55] I felt like I could succeed and do anything I wanted to do with my life, and unfortunately
[3:55 - 4:01] I wasn't able to continue on because I had to move, but I still keep in touch with a
[4:01 - 4:06] lot of the people there, and a lot of the staff there will tell you the same thing.
[4:06 - 4:12] We are all like family to each other there. We all push and pull for one another to do
[4:12 - 4:20] the best that we can do, no matter what the grade is. And I understand that you guys
[4:20 - 4:27] might not have much money, but that doesn't mean you have to take away a sixth grade.
[4:27 - 4:35] If you have to, take away something else, but don't take away these children's education.
[4:35 - 4:43] Because honestly, as a former student of Roosevelt Academy, I know what it's like to
[4:43 - 4:48] have to struggle in a regular school. That's why I went to Roosevelt. I went to Roosevelt
[4:48 - 4:55] because there I was given another chance. I was given another chance at a regular education
[4:55 - 5:07] and a chance to be freed from bullying. Which, you know, it did happen. I was freed from
[5:07 - 5:16] bullying. One thing you guys understand is that there, a lot of these kids that get bullied
[5:16 - 5:25] in regular schools that are now going to Roosevelt, they see that place as a home, even though
[5:25 - 5:34] they might not see it, they might not show it. But you know, somewhere deep inside, you
[5:34 - 5:44] know, I know all these kids, they see that place as a second home, just like I did.
[5:44 - 5:52] So I urge you, do not take away these kids' future. Because if you take out the sixth
[5:52 - 6:01] grade, you're risking a lot of problems for these kids. You guys don't understand the
[6:01 - 6:09] level of commitment and the level of love and respect that these kids have for that
[6:09 - 6:25] school. So I urge you, please, please, and I'm not just telling you this as another person,
[6:25 - 6:34] I'm telling you this as a former Roosevelt Academy Eagle and a very proud member of
[6:34 - 6:41] Roosevelt. Yes, even though I do not go to Roosevelt anymore, I still see Roosevelt
[6:41 - 6:50] Academy and always will see it as a home. I will always be proud to be a member of
[6:50 - 6:58] that. And I guarantee you down the road, these kids will say the same thing. So I
[6:58 - 7:08] urge you all, and I mean you all to please let the school go. Do not take out the sixth
[7:08 - 7:15] grade. Leave it be. Let these kids have a fair chance at a good education where they
[7:15 - 7:26] won't get bullied and picked on. I know what that's like. I've been down that road.
[7:26 - 7:36] So I urge you all to please reconsider. Because if you do reconsider, you will be helping
[7:36 - 7:42] out a lot of students in a bigger way than you could ever imagine. You will be helping
[7:42 - 7:47] them out. Because one thing you don't understand about the schools there that I do know personally
[7:47 - 7:55] because I went to McLaughlin Middle School there in Florida, I know what that's like.
[7:55 - 8:04] I know what that's like to be judged. Okay. I know what it's like to be ridiculed, picked
[8:04 - 8:10] on, bullied till you get beat. I know what that's like to get bullied and beat up on
[8:10 - 8:21] a daily basis. I do know what that's like. And that continued on my entire life when
[8:21 - 8:26] I was living in Florida until I went to Roosevelt. When I went to Roosevelt Academy, that's
[8:26 - 8:32] when it stopped. Well, it didn't stop entirely, but it was way less worse. And I mean way
[8:32 - 8:44] less. When I went to a regular middle school, I was getting bullied, beat up, bloody, bruised.
[8:44 - 8:50] I was getting the worst beatings you could ever imagine going to a regular middle school.
[8:50 - 8:56] And when I went to Roosevelt Academy, all of that stopped. That all stopped the minute
[8:56 - 9:08] I went to Roosevelt. So please, I urge you to leave the sixth grade alone and let these
[9:08 - 9:12] kids have a normal education where they will not be bullied and come up with a creative
[9:12 - 9:23] way to continue it going. Like I know that I'm here in Akron, Ohio, but I'm willing
[9:23 - 9:32] to help you guys in any way that I can. Because I do have connections to other people that
[9:32 - 9:41] have a good amount of money that I'm sure would be willing to help out. So please,
[9:41 - 9:49] Roosevelt Academy staff, share this video around, get it out there. Let's show the
[9:49 - 9:53] school board that we are more than just a school, that we are a family and that we will
[9:53 - 10:00] not stand by and let this happen. We need to save Roosevelt Academy. We need to save
[10:00 - 10:10] the children's future. Hell, to be honest with you, I still own every single one of
[10:10 - 10:16] my uniforms and they do still fit me. Granted, I'm not wearing it right now because it's
[10:16 - 10:24] snowing up here, it's cold and nah. But to every single person working for the Roosevelt
[10:24 - 10:34] Academy School Board and the Polk County School Board, I urge you all to please share
[10:34 - 10:46] this video around. Come up with ways to save it. Because Roosevelt Academy is more than
[10:46 - 10:53] just a school to a lot of these children. To a lot of these children, it's a second
[10:53 - 11:03] home. And more importantly, it's a second chance at life for them. So come on guys,
[11:03 - 11:08] let's pull together and do this thing. Let's show the school board that we are not going
[11:08 - 11:09] to stand by and let this happen.