Venture Academy: After realizing his school was the right fit, Isaiah Butts got to work

Venture Academy senior Isaiah Butts is reluctant to talk about himself, but he certainly has a lot to say.

Butts graduated recently from Venture, an achievement that two years ago seemed like anything but a certainty after he was suspended for behavior issues for the last couple months of his sophomore year.

“I had to finish that year at Coeur d’Alene High School,” Butts said, “and I realized almost right away that was not where I wanted to be. I don’t think I did a single assignment while I was there, and I failed some classes because of that.

“I emailed the principal at Venture pleading to come back and she gave me another chance. But I knew there wouldn’t be any more chances if I messed up.”

Except for that brief interlude at Coeur d’Alene, Butts was at Venture for all four years of high school. By the beginning of his freshman year, he said, he had already attended many different schools while living with his parents and grandparents. The appeal of Venture was its size, because Butts didn’t like being around a lot of people, he said.

“At Venture,” he said, “there’s always someone by your side helping you. I didn’t have that at CHS.”

Venture is a trimester program, so Butts was able to complete his junior courses and also make up the ones he had failed. While Venture offers both online and in-person instruction, Butts was primarily in a regular classroom.

He is still not crazy about school, but realized the value of an education when he almost lost it. It helped, he said, that he met his girlfriend before junior year, and that she brought out the best in him, and the support that he received from faculty and staff was also encouraging.

Seeking to address his anger issues, Butts trained for a while in jiujitsu, which helped instill in him a sense of self-discipline. An injury put that on hold, but he said that he is hopeful that he is growing out of those issues.

His interests for a career after high school cover a wide range: teaching, commercial fishing, diesel technology, radiology, even underwater welding.

“I’m kind of stuck on how to decide what I want to do next,” he said, “but for now I just want to work and save some money. I would rather do that than go to school right now. My biggest challenge is going to be figuring out what I want to do long-term.”

He has become more self-sufficient recently, living on his own with his girlfriend and a cousin, and has a part-time warehouse job working 25-30 hours a week.

“Isaiah has overcome quite a bit to get where he is today,” said Venture instructor Lex Levy. “In the last couple years, he has really turned things around, worked very hard in his classes, and become a great citizen of our school community. He has a great attitude and has learned to face challenges head-on. We couldn’t be more proud.”