James Rosas

By James Rosas

This is my first year attending Tallac, but I’ve been involved with the school since my junior year. I am also an up and coming artist and Tallac gives me a generous amount of support.

The main reason I appreciate Tallac is that the staff understands we the students have a life outside of school and new problems arise everyday. They try their very best to incorporate our whole life in the learning process not just academics.

The way the school is set up makes it hard to fall behind when the dilemmas outside of school have to be dealt with. Whether it be counseling or simply getting out at noon to go home and get ready for work.

Our school is as misunderstood as the students that attend. It’s not a punishment to be here, just another opportunity. And acceptance here is just the beginning. Through Tallac I’ve had many opportunities to meet with community members for instance the mayor and (BlueGo’s) John Andoh. All students get this opportunity, not just me.

My art is graffiti art and, yes, I did write in the streets. But with support and influence from Tallac and a man named Matt Kaufman I’ve stopped writing in the streets and recently had a gallery show with some friends. My point is all students who attend Tallac are good people, and Tallac gives us the chance and opportunity that so many others have denied us.

James Rosas is a senior at Mt. Tallac High School in South Lake Tahoe.