Nate Bird soars at Mica Peak
Four years ago, as he was finishing his eighth-grade year, Nate Bird was, as he put it, “not even trying.”
And then high school started the same way.
“I was anxious coming out of eighth grade,” he said. “I wasn’t the greatest student in middle school, and I wasn’t making much effort. In high school, there was no way I was going to make it. I was failing my classes from the beginning.”
Then, about halfway through his freshman year, Bird’s mom learned about Mica Peak High School, a Central Valley School District program which offers a lifeline to students who are unlikely to find academic success in a traditional school setting. Mica Peak is a fully accredited, diploma-granting school within the district.
“Mica Peak has been an awesome experience for me,” Bird said. “There wasn’t much change for me right off the bat, but I slowly got more comfortable and started to grow into myself. Eventually I got involved in the Leadership and Fitness programs, and those have been great for me. Once I was on the Leadership team, I knew I needed to be a good example and get good grades.
“The smaller atmosphere has really helped. It’s easy to fit in here and be more than just a number. The biggest classes don’t have more than 15 students. When the light bulb went on for me, I realized that I could graduate, and that probably never would have happened at my old school. It’s nothing against University; it just wasn’t a good fit for me, either academically or for my mental health, and I needed other options.
“I wasn’t too involved in the transfer. I’m very fortunate to have my Ma. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for her.”
Bird is enrolled in the CORE program at Mica Peak, which until this spring offered in-class teacher-driven direct instruction. The FLEX program is oriented toward online and independent study options.
The most important thing he’s learned at Mica Peak, Bird said, is that he can accomplish things if he puts in the work, that he has the ability to finish assignments and do them well. He knows that time and increased maturity have contributed to that shift, but the support and help he’s received there have opened his eyes and helped him to believe in himself.
His anchors at Mica Peak, besides the academic work, are Leadership and Fitness. His Leadership instructor, John Griffiths, is one of Bird’s biggest fans.
“Nate started in Leadership last year,” Griffiths said. “Graduating students pick their replacements based on the personal values they see in other students. Integrity is the biggest one, and it’s important for our team members to figure out their own leadership style.
“Nate is a quiet leader. I can give any task to him, and he is 100% committed to completing it. He has a tremendous work ethic, and he has a rare skill, the ability to ask the right questions. I am super proud of him, and how he’s thrived here.”
Nate isn’t sure what comes next. He’s thinking about pursuing an apprenticeship of some kind, or perhaps the military. But whatever he chooses, he knows now that he can take what he’s been taught, put it to work, and continue the success story he’s begun at Mica Peak.