Jessica Roberts

By Jessica Roberts

I just moved to South Lake Tahoe in June. I enrolled in Tallac because some issues came up in Southern California, which is where I used to live.

At first, it was really hard for me to adjust to everything, because I moved my senior year. Now, I’m acclimating and starting to feel more comfortable.

Tallac works for me because I can work at my own pace, which is a huge advantage seeing as I procrastinate less. Additionally, the teachers are really helpful and understanding.

Even though I’m new to this school, I already feel the pressure of the stigma that has been attached to attending Mount Tallac. There’s an assumption that everyone here is a “bad kid.” Personally, I don’t think there is such a thing as bad kids. I think there are kids who make bad choices, myself included.

Everyone at Tallac has made mistakes, but they are here to fix them. Some of the hardest working kids I’ve ever met go to Tallac.

There are some students who are parents, but they go to school to get an education, have a job and take care of their kids. There are other students who have gotten in trouble with the law, but they are no longer involved in those kinds of situations.

I’m at Tallac because I’m credit deficient and I want to graduate and be successful. I’ve messed up a lot in school, but I’ve come along way.

I’m working really hard, just as many other students here are. Tallac has this reputation as a school for troubled kids, but I think it should have a reputation as a school for hard working students.

Jessica Roberts is a senior at Mt. Tallac High School in South Lake Tahoe.