Testimonials

 To Charlie’s spirit savers at The Calais School

To passersby, its just a school.
From the outside it looks like an ordinary one…not a place where    anything really unique is done.
But I know it is unique, though outsiders don’t really understand...cause you are really saving spirits with your extended hand.
Now I’m old enough to know what’s true…
Its not so much the hand you are dealt, its how you play it, that will make or break you.
Besides academics, playing his hand well, is what I feel you are     teaching Charlie to do.
Charlie’s world was very small...doing what other children usually like to do, didn’t matter to him at all.
He couldn’t cope with the noise, “the rules,” the crowds, the smells, that can accompany fun.
Take him to a birthday party, an amusement park, the beach, a fair, a movie, the zoo...five minutes...he was done.
Now although he might have a blanket, a bear, ear plugs and a flashlight in tow...
These are now all places he likes to go...
Through teaching him “problem solving” he is learning how to make it through.
Amazing what someone can accomplish, when no one is hitting you.
As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words” so here is one, I’ll share with you.
In May, on our first vacation with him, Charlie enjoyed all of the above and more.
He didn’t mind at all when the airplane began to soar!
At Discovery Cove he grabbed hold of a dolphin’s fin and went for a ride!
So look at his picture, because he couldn’t have done it without all of you...and feel pride.
Thank You!
From the Charlie’s Grateful Parents
June 2007

From a Calais Teacher and Graduate

Andrew Chanes
Calais Graduate, Class of ’95, and Master Teacher at The Calais School
The following is taken from Mr. Chanes’ comments at the School’s 35th Anniversary Dinner

“My story is somewhere between a roller coaster ride and a train-wreck.  I came to Calais in third grade after having some trouble in public school.  I went back to public school 3 years later.  I went on for a while without incident and then decided I wasn’t real happy with the outside world, so I got myself kicked out of high school and came back to Calais in the tenth grade.  At that point, I wasn’t quite the poster-boy for a love of education. But how I became a teacher, after having such a huge disdain for the educational process and everyone in it, is quite interesting.”

“During my last 2 years at Calais, I couldn’t do gym (I am in a wheelchair) so someone suggested that I tutor some of the younger kids instead.  From that day on, a light went on.  Furthermore, I discovered that I wasn’t going to fall off the side of the earth when I graduated.  I had actually set a goal for myself.  I received my degree in special-education from the University of Maryland and started teaching.   Last summer, after some more trials in the adult world (including dying my hair bright red), I drove to Calais and asked Dr. Orlando to let me teach here.  I’m still not sure why, but he said yes.”

“To me, Calais is all-encompassing.  Calais offers its students something you can’t learn in a book.  What Calais means to me and what Calais offers to its students…safety and growth.  There’s safety in talking to Mr. or Ms. V for hours on end, safety in seeing people who aren’t quite Abercrombie models rehearsing for the next role on an MTV reality show, people who might also face some of the same struggles as we do.  However, most of all, what gives students a sense of safety inside the walls of Calais is the confidence that when they finally walk outside the doors for the last time, they have the tools to succeed, whatever their goals are.”

“For a long time, I was worried that because of my disability, I would have nothing to offer the world and I’d be living on the streets of New York City…begging.  That changed one day when I was sitting in class, working with a younger student on a multiplication problem and the light bulb went off.  What I figured out was that I had found something that was going to carry me through my life and just maybe I’d be able to afford a Big Mac and fries when I was thirty.”

“I’ve been told I’m a “Calais success story”.  Perhaps, but there have been hundreds of successes in Calais’s history.  Success is a fluid term.  We educators see successes every day…a student getting an A in biology for the first time, learning to write their name, or finally staying in class and out of CRC for an entire day for the first time in a month.   Any student who succeeds at something today that they couldn’t do yesterday, no matter how small…that’s a success.  I’m very proud of my successes over the past twenty-nine years, but I like my student’s successes even better.”

“Over time, it has been Calais that has given me my biggest strength as an educator.  My kids always tell me that “I go down to their level.”  They see me struggle and they begin to understand that even a “Calais success story” can be fallible.  As such, they aren’t afraid to take chances and make mistakes. And as I always tell them, “to succeed, you sometimes have to fail.” 

“I guess the hardest lesson I learned at Calais is that life doesn’t end when you leave the school.  There’s a whole world out there and no matter who you are, why I keep coming back to Calais is “our” (I love saying that) ability to teach students the things that will make them a success in life, not just in school."

From other Graduates

“When I first came to Calais I had no direction, no care for school, and no care for where I would wind up in the next 5 years…eventually I changed but the process was slow at first…I found that I wanted to help people feel and get better.  I was beginning to care for someone other than myself for once...”  Leticia

“Three years ago I came to Calais with a broken back, broken spirit, and lack of respect of everyone, myself included…I was a different person than I am today...The kinds of changes that occurred at Calais are the kinds that only come from long-term, patient, encouragement and caring support...Thank you Calais for offering me a second shot at school.”   Alex

“Six years ago I came to Calais as an angry young man…I’ve learned that there are certain choices I can make and certain things I can’t change but have to  accept…I can’t worry about those things that I can’t control.  Fighting about little things isn’t worth the effort or the consequence.” Michael

“You taught me how to deal with practically everything…without you, I wouldn’t be here today.” Billy

“...change is an opportunity to explore something new...if we look at change as something destructive, we might not experience the ecstasy of living.” Shane

“Calais…gave me a second chance when I thought there was no way out… For all the arguing and name calling and the “I hate yous”, I finally realized why you did everything you did.  I am forever appreciative for that.  Even though it might have taken us a long time...we got there!”  Marinda

“Everyone here has shown me the one thing I will never forget...Not everyone is as bad as I think they might be. I can finally trust other people." Kenny

 “…what made a rocket work was exciting, especially when all the hard work went ‘up in smoke’.” Michael      

“Thank you…for being there when I was feeling there was no hope left for me.  Thank you for letting me talk to you and knowing what to say to help me look at life differently.”  Terry

“…I’ve become someone others can count on for help, someone they can turn to when there is nothing left and I can pick them up.  I can share how to forgive…something I had to learn on my own.  I’m a better man today thanks to my family, friends, and faculty.”  Dan

“The other thing I learned was how to stay on topic, focus and finish the job I’ve been given.”  Brian

 “…at Vo-Tech I learned about how to build a house… I’m grateful that Calais let me do this...” Chris

“…I’m happy, but I also realize how scared I am of leaving this place.” Jackie