Student Spotlight: Stop Bullying

At Primavera, we have talented, hard-working students who are dedicated to getting their high school diploma online. In this Student Spotlight series, we shine the light on a few of our exceptional Primavera Panthers.

If there is one thing Primavera Online High School students know, it’s that we are all unique individuals. Too often, people who stand out from the crowd are treated differently, especially in the high school environment. That’s why at Primavera, we work to create a safe, inviting crowd through our student clubs and PSP community chat, so that every student can meet classmates and make friends.

This October is National Bullying Prevention Month. To commemorate, we are sharing the inspiring story of a Primavera student here at Primavera. Check out his story below.

Jose Pantaleon, senior

Jose has been at Primavera for almost three years now, and loves getting involved in school and chatting with his friends at the Primavera. But before online school, Jose suffered through bullying.

In his sophomore year, school was tough for Jose. He was in a large, public school and he felt like he didn’t fit in. His once best friend suddenly started bullying him and convinced his other friends to do the same. At the time, Jose felt like there was nothing he could do. To him, this was just high school.

“At first, I was confused. I didn’t know what happened, if I had said something to get them mad at me. Just all of the sudden I didn’t have friends and I felt alone,” said Jose. “I was bullied a lot, but I figured I just had to get used to that because that was high school life.”

Jose was able to stay positive for awhile, but with the constant bullying and betrayal from friends, Jose told us it affected his schooling and life at home.

“I think it was the traumatization I had that still followed me that made me not want to do my work in school,” said Jose. “I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I didn’t want to tell my parents because I knew that they would get all up on it and start treating me differently from what they usually do.”

Then Jose’s mom heard about Primavera. She told him that she knew kids who were able to graduate on time and even early, so he decided to switch.  He improved significantly in these subjects and made lots of friends.

“Before Primavera, I did not like high school at all. When I came here, it was a lot different. I was able to do fun stuff, talk with my teachers, make friends, do what I was supposed to be doing in high school,” said Jose.

After improving nearly two grade levels in reading, passing AIMS writing and passing courses he couldn’t at his old school, we are proud to say Jose is set to graduate at the end of this school year.

“If I hadn’t come to Primavera, I would have just been like I was, not understanding or caring about school, wanting to drop out and get a GED. Now I’m going to graduate, and thinking about going into the EMT field and maybe even getting a college degree. I connect with teachers here in a way that I never thought I would have in my old school. They really care about me and help me get through things so I can do better and graduate.”
– Jose Pantaleon, senior