Amanda's Story

Amanda's difficulties began in her junior year of high school. She had above average grades in her first two years, and then things began to go wrong. Almost all of her friends dropped out of school. All of a sudden her school became a big lonely place and Amanda started missing days.

Finally, she was called to the office and informed by the guidance counselor that if any more days were missed, she was in jeopardy of being expelled. Amanda and her Dad needed help! A call was made and an appointment was scheduled to meet with Mr. Dowling. As a result, Amanda decided to enroll in WEA. Amanda started the second semester of her junior year at WEA. She made all A's and B's, attended summer school, and graduated early. Despite all F's in her fall semester of 11th grade, she made up all of the F's and graduated from WEA as co-valedictorian.

When asked what she liked about WEA, Amanda replied, "It's small, not a big school." Amanda also confided, "Most of my friends who have dropped out have not done anything with their lives. I did not want to drop out or be a failure. I just got to a point where I did not know what to do." Currently, Amanda is enrolled in Pellissippi State Technical Community College.

Amanda was lost, but now she is found, and is making a statement at college.

Greg's Story

"You have to believe in yourself to get anywhere. Here, I had an opportunity to be myself. My belief in myself rose up with the teachers' interest in me."

Greg's high school experience was barely on track. He was in his junior year and passing only two courses and was still in freshman English. His wardrobe of baggy clothes did not impress his teachers. Greg had spent several days in the office and was viewed as a troublemaker. Additionally, as Greg described it: "I was not running around with the best people."

Then an event occurred that would derail Greg's high school experience. Greg and his friends had been shooting people with squirt guns the previous day. He had left the squirt guns in his car. A passerby reported that there was what appeared to be a real gun in his car, which was parked in the school parking lot. School officials searched his automobile and found that the guns were not real. However, they found a pocketknife that was illegal to bring onto school property. Greg was suspended for 180 days. His parents set up an appointment with Mr. Dowling, and Greg began school at WEA. Amanda was lost, but now she is found, and is making a statement at college.

When asked about his WEA experience, Greg pointed to several aspects that made a difference with him: "The teachers were not worried about my wardrobe of baggy clothes; rather, they focused their attention on helping me with my school work. They took time to help me, to answer my questions. It was more student teacher instead of teacher-student. Teachers took the time to get to know me."

Currently, Greg is pursuing a career as an Audio Technician/Engineer at Tennessee Institute of Technology. After graduation and a few years of experience, his dream is to own an audio installation company.

Greg was headed toward a nightmare. Now he is pursuing his dream.

Lee's Story

"Just because you have failed once does not mean you are a failure. Babe Ruth did not make it to where he was overnight. Even though he hit many home runs, he had more strikeouts than homers. He did not give up; nor should you. God never gives up on you, either. I was a hard case to crack. My parents prayed and the Dowlings prayed."

Lee described himself as a "very angry kid who did not like school work. I did not like to pay attention. From the very beginning, I felt like a failure. I never thought I'd make anything of my life."

Lee came to WEA in the 4th grade. He had been making all D's in school and had been held back in the 4th grade. His parents were concerned and wanted him to do better. They had heard that WEA would work with young people who were struggling in school. Lee also had a mild learning disability.

From the 4th through the 8th grades, Lee attended WEA. After 8th grade, he attended a local high school for three years. After the first semester of the 12th grade, Lee came back to WEA and graduated from high school. "I was lousy about doing my homework," Lee said. "So my parents had me come back to get my grades up and to graduate."

When asked what he most liked about his WEA experience, Lee did not hesitate to say, "Mr. and Mrs. Dowling cared enough to put in the time and dedication to give me a chance. They gave up their time to help me when I did not care. I had lots of anger and rage and they worked with me."

Lee and his wife of 5 years currently live in Tigard, Oregon. He is employed in armored vehicle work where he transports millions of dollars every day.

Lee could not carry his own load. Now, he is responsible for himself, his family, and the money of hundreds of people every day.

Rebecca's Story

"You need to pay attention as much as possible. If you think high school is only fun and games, it won't pay off."

Rebecca came to West End Academy because she did not have enough credits to graduate from her previous high school. Her friends told her about WEA. She started summer school in June of 1998 and continued through May of 1999. Becky advanced from not having enough credits to graduate to become the class of ‘99 valedictorian.

Becky said she liked her West End experience because "there are not as many students, it is easier because the teachers have more time to spend with you. The credits are split so you can get ½ credits. You can do co-op work. And there are not as many distractions." Additionally, she commented that "West End was fun and exciting. I met new and interesting people. All of the teachers were really nice and eager to help with anything I needed. You can get free period cards to go on field trips, so it was worth trying to be to school on time."

Rebecca has completed the fall semester at the University of Tennessee on the scholarship she received for being WEA valedictorian. Her plans are to major in Business Administration with a double minor in Zoology and Communications. Rebecca has learned to pay attention and her future will show it.

Tia's Story - Scholarship Recipient Graduate



Tia Hammitt came to West End Academy in the second semester of her sophomore year. "At my previous school, I goofed around and it seemed that no one cared," admitted Tia. "I was tardy a lot and skipped a lot of school. By the mid part of 10th grade, I was not doing well. I was in with the wrong crowd, and there was peer pressure to skip school." Tia had passed only one course and earned just one credit in that semester.

Knowing that she needed help, Tia and her mom made an appointment with Mr. D. After the interview, Tia felt that West End had a solution to her educational problems.

Tia described West End as the following: "a smaller place where everybody gets along. The staff and teachers cared if I came to school. They always found my mom and told her when I was not at school. I was never afraid to ask for help if I was having problems. I love Mr. D. He always went out of his way to help me. Everyone at West End is almost always happy. It is like a big family. I wanted to come to school because it did not seem like school. When other students asked me to do something that I knew was not right, I told them that I had a clean slate at West End and I did not want to do it. They said nothing. No one thought I was weird. There was no peer pressure."

Tia is currently working full time at a day care center. She wants to work for a year to pay off some bills and save for school. Her plan is to start at Pellissippi State next fall.

Tia was once swayed by peer pressure. Now she is her own person and following her dreams instead of the crowd.

Carrie's Story - Stars on the Stage of Life



During her junior year in high school, Carrie Fox was performing in theatrical plays for elementary aged school children. In order to do these plays, she had to miss some school. Unfortunately, she started getting used to missing class and ended up with too many absences. Carrie had been attending a high school that was outside her assigned zone. As a result of her excessive absences, she lost her transfer to the high school she was attending.

"I already had a poor attitude toward school", admitted Carrie. "I did not want to attend the high school in my assigned zone. My parents and I started looking for other options and we chose West End Academy."

"West End was a good experience for me", said Carrie. "The teachers make an effort to get to know you. They cared about your education and your making it in life. All of the teachers and Mr. D, in particular, could sense when you had a problem that was not school related. They went out of their way to help me out with it. They were able to incorporate real life with school experiences."

"The students at WEA were close to each other. It was a family environment. There were no clichés. I learned to make friends with kids from all realms of life. I found it to be the same in college. There are all different types of people there too."

Carrie graduated from WEA in May 1993. She was the senior class salutatorian with a 3.1 grade point average. After graduation from WEA, Carrie attended Pellissippi State for one semester. She then transferred to the University of Tennessee and graduated with honors in Communications. "I had no problems in college. It was a great time", said Carrie. Carrie interned at a local radio station after graduating from UT. She worked her way up to Promotions Director. She then did a stint as a TV show host on the Shopping Channel.

Currently, Carrie is enrolled in the MBA program at UT. She is scheduled to graduate in December 2002. Her future goals are to work in media communications or marketing with a music company or to do product marketing with a food or soft drink producer.

Carrie once performed in theatrical plays. Now she is starring on the stage of life.

James' Story



James Osborne came to West End Academy with two strikes against him. He had been expelled from his high school for drug possession and fighting. He was put into the Alternative School and was also expelled for drug possession.

"West End was a learning experience for me", said James. "I got into trouble there, too. At my former school, I was kicked out. WEA handled things differently. Mr. D. asked me what happened and why. He listened to my reasons and worked with me. I had to do push ups and jumping jacks, but that was better than expulsion or suspension. One day, I had to do 1,700 ups. That started me to get along with people and to stop feuding."

"I liked the smaller classes and the respect the teachers gave me at WEA. If I had a problem, I could walk into the office and talk to the man in charge (Mr. D.). He would listen to me and help me understand what I needed to do."

"I bombed out my first year in high school. I only earned two credits. WEA worked with me and helped me make up my credits. After my junior year at WEA, I went back to my previous high school for one semester. I wanted a job as an electrician and they had a course in electricity that I needed to take. I came back to WEA the next semester. For two weeks, I took Geometry all day and finished it. The remainder of the semester, I worked 40-50 hours per week as an electrician apprentice. West End counted the hours as Co-Op Education and I earned two credits, which was enough for me to graduate. I graduated six months earlier than anticipated.

James' goals for the future are to be successful in his work, and to change a few lives along the way for the better. He injured his back working as an electrician apprentice. While waiting for it to heal, he has been working successfully in sales. He may decide to pursue sales as a career.

Once James had only one strike left. Now it is a new ball game with unlimited batting opportunities.

In Honor of Bruce Allen Amos

Bruce passed away a week after graduation, due to complications from a previous medical condition.

It is with joy and sadness that we bring you this honorarium for Bruce. Joy that he has gone Home, sadness because we will miss him. He was a graduate in the class of 2006.

While he did not get the opportunity to go forth in life to accomplish his dream of owning a landscaping company, your sacrificial giving gave his family something precious.

Bruce had dropped out of school in his senior year. Your giving enabled him, at 19, to review the choices he had made with his life. He came to the conclusion that his parents were right and he needed his diploma to achieve his dreams. That is what you gave his family - the opportunity to see Bruce achieve his first goal, his high school graduation. His mother wept tears of joy that day, because she never thought she would get to see him cross a stage and receive his diploma.

When you are visiting our site, and think about waiting to give, remember the final lesson Bruce taught us. God in Heaven gave us this moment, and he didn’t promise us tomorrow. Be prepared, and help us prepare others. Thank you again for helping Bruce, his parents and our other children.

Sharon's Story

Sharon’s (name has been changed to protect privacy) story begins with a lady who had a job selling and delivering supplies and prizes used by carnivals throughout the Southeast. She would leave home in mid - September and travel the carnival circuit for six months, returning home in February.

One early spring day she was at a carnival site doing her job, when she noticed something underneath one of the truck trailers. She could not quite make out what it was. Somewhat cautiously, she moved close to the trailer. She could tell it was alive, and thought it might be some sort of animal. As she took a deep breath and peered under the trailer, what she saw shocked and dismayed her. It was not an animal, but rather a very dirty little girl. She was tied at the ankle by a rope (the rope of despair), which was tied to the undercarriage of the trailer. Nearby, was a bowl with some food and a bottle of water.

Aghast at what she had discovered, the lady hurried to the nearest carnival worker and demanded to know where she could find the little girl’s parents. The worker told her where the father was working. She soon found him and inquired about the girl. The father said that both he and the mother worked in the carnival. When they first had the baby, they would leave her in the crib in their trailer and check on her periodically. However, as she grew and was able to start getting into things, they would come to check on her and find a mess in the trailer. Then, they began to tie her under a truck trailer and check on her as they had the opportunity. The father related the story of his little girl in a dispassionate manner. In fact he peered at the lady and asked, “Why are you asking? Do you want her?” The lady, whose heart was breaking by this time, said, “Yes!”

Sharon’s new mom began the appropriate legal proceedings, and in time legally adopted Sharon. Sharon now had a “mom” who loved and cared for her.

Her mom took Sharon on the road with her when she traveled the carnival circuit. This worked well until Sharon was old enough to start school. She continued to take her with her. However, Sharon was in a different school every week, for six months. As you can imagine, this was hard on Sharon. She was not doing well in school, and was falling behind both academically and socially.

Sharon’s mom was at a loss on what to do. A friend recommended she talk to Mr. Dowling at West End Academy. During the interview, Mr. D. knew that West End Academy could help Sharon. Still the issue remained that Mom had to travel, and she had no one to care for Sharon while she was out of town.

Mr. D. told Mom that he might have a solution. That evening he had a family meeting with Mrs. D. and their three sons. As a family, they agreed to have Sharon live with them while Mom was on the road.

When Mr. D. conveyed the good news to Mom, she was ecstatic. Sharon lived with the Dowling’s for the next three years when Mom was on the road. At the end of the three years, she was old enough to live with her grandmother while her mom was on the road. Sharon left WEA and enrolled in public school.

Mr. D. lost track of Sharon as the years passed. One afternoon, he had a business lunch at a local restaurant. When he was paying his check, a voice behind him said, “Mr. Dowling, is that you?” As he turned around, there stood a pretty young lady in her 20’s. “Oh, Mr. D., I am so glad to see you!” During the course of their conversation, Sharon revealed that she worked at the restaurant as a hostess, was married to a fine Christian man, and they had two children.

A rope of despair once bound Sharon. Now she has a Lifeline of Hope.

The Rest of the Story: Now you know why the West End Academy capital campaign was called the Lifeline of Hope. This is a true story, we just changed Sharon’s name to protect her privacy.

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