I remember being in eighth grade when I searched up Lawrence in the Google search engine. The very first article that had popped up said, “City of the Damned”. That was the first time I realized that Lawrence had a bad reputation. Walking the streets of Lawrence at night was a death call and befriending the wrong crowd was a teenager's way of avoiding family problems. This was the moment I realized the city I grew up in was toxic.
The worst part of Lawrence for any child is the education system. With our minority status and poverty rates, it was hard to build a working education system that would benefit all students. At Lawrence High School, students constantly disrespected teachers. At Lawrence High School, the uniform code was always placed
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I acknowledge that the education I had at Lawrence High was not the best, but I was still learning nonetheless. I realized that although it still seemed horrible to me, things were changing. Curriculums were different and standards were higher. The dropout rate was lowering, which meant in the grand scheme of things, the administrators were doing something correct. Now, they are aiming to help students stay in college, not just get to college. This is what is so beautiful about growing up in a minority city. In my city, people realize how much help is needed to turn around everything. There is not anywhere else we can go but up, and that is the amazing thing. At Lawrence High, all teachers and administrators strive to help all students graduate high school and college. All Lawrence High students are lucky to be a part of a growing city. There are so many amazing opportunities that are offered at Lawrence High, and almost all of them are free because many organizations understand that we do not have the money to participate, but they want to help us grow. An Early College program is offered to about 150 students. Institutions such as, MIT, Phillips Academy, Gear Up, and Upward Bound are available right on campus to all