It was 10 years ago when Anthony recalls that he had difficulty speaking and learning in elementary school and was often mistreated by his peers on a regular basis. His fourth grade teacher told his parents “that he was unteachable.”

“It was at this point that my parents searched for a school that would help me thrive and succeed,” he said.

Anthony, a graduate of Morristown High School, shared his message as the graduation speaker at the Calais School in June 2019. He spoke passionately about his experience prior, during, and after his time at Calais. Anthony‘s powerful words resonated not only with the students but with parents and teachers. His personal journey and message encouraged students to pursue their dreams no matter the odds and no matter the circumstances.

“The minute I stepped into the (Calais) building, I was welcomed with warm hands,” he said. The school’s former art teacher Mr. Catalano saw Anthony’s artistic talent and encouraged him. “One of the things that I was passionate about was expressing myself with pen and ink,” Anthony said. “Mr. Catalano discovered my expressive works of art and not too long after that, he encouraged me to draw more to cope with my emotions.”

Not only did this method help Anthony ‘s art flourish, but it also helped him succeed academically and helped him develop an overall self-worth.

The continued support and encouragement from Calais administrators and staff was transformative for Anthony during his years at Calais. Eventually Anthony returned to public school and went on to graduate from Morristown High School (MHS) in 2019 with a 3.9 GPA.  During his time at MHS he was a member of the National Honor Society, the school’s ice hockey team and the recipient of the Hobey Baker Sportsmanship Award and various scholarships. Anthony is currently a sophomore at the Savannah College of Art and Design studying Sequential Art with a minor in 2D animation with aspirations of “creating a graphic novel to educate and share my own experiences with autism.”

“I want to thank the Calais administration for encouraging me to become the young man I am today,” Anthony said. “Some of the memories I’ve made during my middle school days are undoubtedly, the most memorable.”

In celebration of The Calais School’s 50thanniversary, we are sharing personal stories from those who are making a difference in the Calais Community. We leave you with some of Anthony‘s inspirational words, “keep believing in yourself and NEVER let anyone tell you that you can’t accomplish anything in life. The only individual that would keep you from achieving your goals is YOU, so NEVER give up on yourself.”

If you would like to share your own Calais story please contact Ashley Soleau at ashley.soleau@thecalaisschool.org or Allison Freeman at allison.freeman@thecalaisschool.org.

This blog was first posted on The Calais Foundation’s website here.