Riverside Seniors Pass The Finish Line

After balancing school work, a custody battle for her 7‑month old son, and a job as a manager at KFC, 18-year-old Kayla Folk walked side by side with her best friend Rea’gean Oakley, bright smiles on both their faces. Together, they picked up their high school diplomas.

Folk and Oakley were among the 11 students who walked at Riverside Education Academy’s graduation on Friday.

The ceremony was originally planned as a drive-through parade because of the pandemic. It was changed last-minute to a walk after Principal Derek Stephenson said the last year of achievement warranted a more ​“traditional” celebration.

Signs and balloons in hand, family members and teachers cheered on the graduates as they walked the length of Riverside’s parking lot in bright blue gowns and caps.

Principal Stephenson praised the cohort’s ​“resiliency” in the face of the pandemic. He said that the most important aspect of Riverside is the close relationship between teachers and students, which allows staff to meet people where they are.

“Each student here has a different story,” said Stephenson. ​“With staff support in working through their stories and their barriers, we’ve really come together to support them and create these opportunities for them.”

Jenifer Blemings, a resource teacher, echoed that sentiment. She said that her team of staff look at students holistically by observing academic performance in the context of their struggles and family units.

“For our kids that go through Riverside, they know we’re here if they need us,” said Blemings. ​“We have graduates contact us for help in college and we get invited to christening and weddings and baby showers. It’s the Riverside family.”

Riverside offers specialized programs tailored to the career focuses of each student. Oakley, for example, became a certified nursing assistant through the school and recently started a job in West Haven. She was named the ​“most civically engaged” student in the graduating class. Folk will continue working and caring for her son Jayzion (pictured below with Folk and mother Heather Ferris). When asked what they plan to do after graduating, they gave a simple response: ​“Continue working, continue moving forward.”

“Everybody said we weren’t going to make it,” said Oakley, gesturing to herself and Kayla. ​“Everybody was always looking down on us. Now look at us. We[‘re] walking the stage.”

“This is the Riverside resilience I’m talking about!” Stephenson said of their experience.

Graduate Daycus Bailey, who wore a custom shirt emblazoned with ​“Daycus 21” in gold letters, was commended for stellar attendance and being the ​“most determined to succeed.” His mother and grandmother, Geanine and Morien Ratcliff, were present on Friday to cheer him on.

“It’s been a long road for him, and he made it,” mom Geanine said. ​“We are very, very proud.”

New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Iline Tracey has been graduation ceremonies happening across the city this commencement season. She said Riverside’s alternative program is particularly important because it supports students who may face difficulties with the traditional school system.

“I sometimes don’t know how they live through some of the experiences they have had,” Tracey said about the students. ​“I hope they take away from here that things can be done if they put their minds to it and that moving forward they should keep that same determination to make life happen for them.”

At the end of the ceremony, all 11 students were accepted as graduates by Board of Education Vice President Matt Wilcox.

Following is a list of graduates with citations they earned:

Angel Aviles — ​“Always survives with a smile”
Daycus Bailey — ​“Most determined to succeed”
Jamile Gonzalez — ​“Best attendance”
Anaja Maebury — ​“Most insightful”
Adrian Medley — ​“Self advocacy”
Carlos Nunez — ​“Most diligent”
Rea’gean Oakley — ​“Most civically engaged”
Kayla Folk — ​“Most resilient”
Shevon Patterson — ​“Most improved”
Natquan Swan — ​“Most likely to persevere”
Xiomira Tristanis — ​“Most courageous”