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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

On Track Academy student has left struggles behind

JaVontae McCain is on path to graduate from On Track Academy and go on to college.
Joe Everson joseph.everson@yahoo.com

They say that leaders are born, not made, but sometimes they need a little push to get there.

Ask anyone at On Track Academy, a high school designed for students who want real-world experience and who may be behind in credits.

They’ll tell you about JaVontae McCain, who learned about On Track from his counselor at North Central a year ago, enrolled there last summer and is on schedule to graduate June 6.

“When I first came here, I was way behind,” McCain said, “but since last summer I’ve caught up in credits, got my first job, and made a plan for after I graduate. When I was at NC, everything was too fast-paced for me and much of the time I wouldn’t understand.

“Most people are able to stay on top of their work, but once I started falling behind and everybody else was moving forward, I started to lose hope.”

McCain has thrived in On Track’s student-centered program. In addition to his academic success, he has emerged as a student leader, largely because of the attention devoted to him by teacher Amanda St. Pierre, who hand-picked him for a statewide student leadership conference last fall and watched him take off from there.

“I thought that JaVontae would do really well there,” St. Pierre said. “He was reluctant at first, but then he really bought in, and that started a trend for him. When we got back, we restructured our leadership class, designed a plan for student elections, and now we meet once a week.

“JaVontae has really grown during his time here. He’s more confident and sets an awesome example for others. I think that he was a little bit afraid to do that at first, but he made it a goal to make everything better for those around him. He’s so appreciative of his opportunities.”

McCain is vice-president of the leadership class at On Track and helps organize school and community events, including a Thanksgiving dinner for students and people in the neighborhood. He promoted a visit to NC by On Track students for a mock-crash demonstration, a traffic-safety program, and was excited by the response.

He’s also an accomplished break dancer and competes in Northwest events. He’s been dancing as long as he can remember.

“I feel that I can really express my personality through my dancing. I’m a pretty funny guy, and when I’m dancing, I can help the people watching me feel how I feel. I’m in a crew, and we recently danced downtown by the fountain and got a big response.”

McCain has been enrolled in the Newtech Skill Center program while at On Track, and he plans to attend Spokane Community College’s welding program next fall. His uncle was a welder, and his father was in the program at SCC, and McCain says that his exposure to the Newtech program helped him to shape a career goal.

In short, the past 12 months have been exciting and busy for McCain, and one gets the sense that the best is yet to come.