Grace Alliance Christian School: Gavin James breaks out of his shell after shy start to school
Grace Alliance Christian School student Gavin James loves to draw and read – he said his younger brothers sometimes throw toys at him to get him to stop.
Perhaps because of this experience, James was surprised to see older students and younger students getting along so well when he entered GACS as a sophomore.
Students at GACS are divided into four houses, all of which include students from first through 12th grades. Each house has two leaders who help with, among other things, Friday activities that bring students of all ages together for various challenges.
Looking for a chance to grow and develop his leadership skills, James expressed interest in being a house leader at the end of his junior year and was selected. He said his main responsibility is making sure everybody has fun.
“The primary focus is nobody’s sitting in the corner not doing anything, really making sure that everybody’s participating and having a great time, making sure that nobody gets injured,” he said.
James is also a student leader in his youth group and helps students bridge the gap between middle and high school. He also made his GACS stage debut as a headmaster in “Puffs,” a parody of the “Harry Potter” series.
He previously participated in Spokane Civic Theatre summer camps, and James thought it would be fun to join his friends onstage. Outside of school, James has run the lightboard for several of Civic’s youth productions.
That all marks a major milestone for James, who is high-functioning autistic and has ADHD. When he first arrived at GACS, he was dealing with social anxiety and worries that he wouldn’t fit in.
James decided to make more of an effort his junior year and quickly found a supportive group of friends and faculty.
Jenice Baker, James’ writing and sociology teacher, has known James since before he attended GACS and said it’s like night and day to look at James now compared to his younger, more shy self.
“His parents have done a good job working with him, but the school has also been this really safe place for him to find out who he is and not said, ‘Hey, you need to fit in this hole,’ ” she said. Instead, it was, “ ‘Let’s figure out who you are and what you’re good at.’ ”
After graduating, James plans to attend George Fox University and study either social work or counseling.
“I really love hearing people’s stories and helping them through that, being a part of it,” he said. “It’s always been something that’s really interested me. That really feels like a good fit in general.”
James’ mother Laura James is of course sad to see him go but is so proud of all the work he’s done to get to this moment.
“He has overcome a lot,” she said. “We got to his senior year, and there was a time, probably five or six years ago, where we weren’t sure what this would look like at this stage, because he had so many hurdles to overcome. He has honestly risen to a place where I know he’s able to set out into the world and do whatever he’s called to do and do it with excellence and thrive.”