JACOB WHALEY: A MODEL STUDENT

Article reprinted from Step Up For Students newsletter
Jacob Whaley is what his teachers would call a model student at James E. Sampson (JES) Memorial School in Fort Pierce, Florida, where he always volunteers in class and can be found singing solos in front of his peers and the school staff.
Before enrolling in fourth grade at JES Memorial School, Jacob attended three schools, public and private. His grades were mediocre, and he had trouble understanding concepts in math and writing. Jacob’s parents feared for his safety in the public school he attended and were unhappy with the curriculum and lack of discipline in the classroom. They knew Jacob needed a different academic environment where he would feel comfortable.
Hearing about the State of Florida’s Step Up for Students Scholarship Program, Jacob’s parents enrolled him in a private school. Though relieved to have found this financial assistance to place Jacob in a new setting, “concepts still weren’t clicking with him,” said his mother, Marilyn Whaley. When they chose to enroll Jacob at JES Memorial School, he was scoring below average on standardized tests, and was also very reserved.
During his first year at JES Memorial School, Jacob’s parents saw tremendous changes in him. “Jacob is attending a school where he feels safe,” says Whaley. “We know he is more challenged and more focused than ever before, and we have seen very positive changes in him.”
His teachers echo those sentiments as well. Principal Deborah Dahl calls Jacob the school’s “little preacher,” and says he stands above the crowd in his sixth-grade class. “I have seen Jacob blossom in all areas,” says Dahl. “He does not respond to peer pressure, and he always volunteers to be a leader.” Jacob is blessed with musical talent; he plays the steel drums, saxophone, and often sings solos at school.
Jacob has come a long way from the shy boy he was when he entered JES, but it isn’t just an improved confidence. Jacob’s testing scores have increased dramatically, and his experience at JES is what Dahl calls a real success story. “He has made excellent progress, and it is very obvious, ” she says. “Jacob has improved tremendously, and he is an asset to our school.”