The journey to graduation day begins early, and for students at Westbridge Academy, it includes a “thesis” unlike any other. As freshmen, high school students embark on “My Journey,” a writing project that spans across four years inspired by the New Jersey Department of Education’s Dare to Dream Conference.
“My Journey” is an essay that invites students to reflect on personal growth and goals, beginning with the prompt “What brought me to Westbridge Academy?” Each year, as part of the journey toward graduation, students revisit, revise, and re-examine their essays, adding an additional piece to the paper each year. Some years, students opt to share their journey papers with the staff and their peers, and when that happens, it is very powerful.
“I have seen students embrace this task and really recognize how they have changed over time. It allows them to show appreciation for those individuals in their lives that have supported them. This project allows the students to not only work on their essays on an academic level, but also on a therapeutic one,” said Linda Ordecki-Relevo, a high school teacher at Westbridge.
