William and Alyne Johnson
Sugar Hill Christian Academy
Sugar Hill, GA
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family” – Kofi Annan
Migrating from France and Jamaica, Blandine and Herbert Johnson have always known how crucial education is in life, especially when packing up the life you once knew and moving to another country. Blandine works part-time in sales while she attends college studying medical coding, and her husband Herbert is self-employed. Together they have two children – William and Alyne. William is the oldest and when it came time for William to start school, the only option was to enroll him in a public school due to the family’s economic standing. The school year started fine, or at least that was the impression Blandine and Herbert were under.
Shocked was an understatement to describe how Blandine and Herbert felt when William’s teacher told them that she thought William had a learning disorder because he wasn’t socializing with the other children in his class. Of course, the two were concerned; were the teachers noticing something they hadn’t? The Johnsons took matters into their own hands. They sought out professional advice, only to find out that it wasn’t that William had a learning disorder, but rather that he wasn’t receiving the one-on-one attention he needed and he was too timid to tell his parents that he wasn’t grasping the concepts as quickly as the other students.
This news devasted Blandine and Herbert. William was being labeled by his teacher because he wasn’t as outspoken as the other children his age. What he needed was to be in a smaller class setting where he was offered a teacher’s undivided attention if he needed it. Even though William was in Kindergarten, the two knew that if they didn’t make a change now, this would continue to affect him throughout his academic career, as well as his life. However, the Johnson’s were faced with a problem. Blandine’s hours were cut back at the same time Herbert’s pay was decreased. Attending private school was simply out of the question.
As weeks went on, Blandine and Herbert grew more upset as they watched their son try to maintain a smile for them, when they knew deep down he was struggling. They couldn’t take it anymore and knew that there had to be another way. Thankfully, there was.
One afternoon, they were discussing the situation with Herbert’s sister. She informed them of the AAA Scholarship Foundation and walked them through the steps of the Georgia application process. Having applied for two years in a row and ending up on a waitlist for funding each time, Blandine and Herbert were ecstatic to receive an acceptance letter the following year. Now all they had to do was find a school that could provide an environment that was right for their son.
The second they stepped foot onto Sugar Hill Christian Academy’s campus, Blandine and Herbert had a gut feeling that this was the ideal school for their son. The school offers a curriculum that combines strong academics, as well as character virtues, to equip the next generation. There is also a great amount of respect between parents and faculty, and they always encourage communication. William needed to be in an environment where his teachers genuinely wanted to see him excel as a student, and would do anything possible to make that happen – even if it meant spending extra time with him before and after school. Thankfully that is exactly what Sugar Hill Christian Academy provided.
As you can imagine, adjusting to a new school and curriculum was challenging in the beginning for William. He went into Sugar Hill Christian Academy with his guard up from his previous experience with his teachers at his former school. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and before he knew it, William felt comfortable and acclimated to his school. Now in the 6th grade, he is thriving at his parent-selected school! Not only has he made a ton of new friends, but he’s finally found his love for learning. Blandine and Herbert can stop by the school and enjoy lunch with William, as well as their youngest Alyne, who now also attends Sugar Hill Christian Academy. William’s grades have vastly improved and he loves to get involved in the classroom asking as many questions as possible, especially in math and science. He aspires to be an architect one day. Even though Alyne is only in the 3rd grade, she is an incredible reader and loves to write stories in her journal.
The two siblings also participate in extracurricular activities at their school; William is in the school band and Alyne performed in the Christmas play that is held every year. Blandine and Herbert are truly the proudest parents, and without the AAA Scholarship Foundation, sending them to Sugar Hill Christian Academy truly wouldn’t have been possible.
“Knowing my children are at a great school receiving a great education has been the biggest blessing,” says Blandine Johnson. “My husband and I can’t thank the AAA Scholarship Foundation enough. This organization absolutely changes lives!”
About AAA Scholarship Foundation
The AAA Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships solely to qualifying low-income, disabled and displaced students. The typical AAA Scholarship student is an ethnic minority living with a struggling single parent/caregiver in a high crime community. More than 90.6 percent of AAA scholarships are distributed to children at or below 200 percent of poverty. Many children are either below grade level, failing at their previous school or both when they receive a scholarship. Parents, who find their children in these circumstances and are concerned about their future, look for viable options. They seek an atmosphere that challenges their child and will reverse inadequate learning, social patterns and the potential lifelong negative impact. They wish to change their child’s learning environment, acquaintances and the unfortunate predictable outcomes associated with school failure.
AAA Scholarships are funded in Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Nevada by corporations that redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the AAA Scholarship Foundation in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. The AAA Scholarship Foundation is one of the only approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarship organizations exclusively serving qualifying low-income, disabled and displaced students through these tax credit scholarship programs in multiple states. AAA Scholarship Foundation provides your company with the convenience and efficiency of a single-solution for participating in multiple state tax credit scholarship programs. For more information, or to learn how your corporation can participate in the program, visit www.AAAScholarships.org, or contact Kerri Vaughan at kerri@aaascholarships.org or 888 707-2465 ext. 730.
Click here for a pdf of this Scholarship Spotlight.