My name is Courtney Allen-Perrault, and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Central Florida. I graduated from Wellington Christian School as a part of the Class of 2012. The school not only offered leadership opportunities, Advanced Placement classes, sports and the arts, but was also a safe community where everyone had an equal chance to better themselves not only for college, but as people in general.
I played basketball from middle school to my senior year, and the bonds I made with my fellow teammates and coaches are the types of long-lasting bonds that I know will carry me throughout my life. I was also the treasurer for the National Honor Society, which sponsored children who lived in poverty all over the world. NHS students also volunteered in other various actions to better the community. NHS showed other schools and the West Palm Beach area that although our school was small, every effort counted and was appreciated.
I was also the vice president of the Student Government Association, which voiced the concerns of students and volunteered in canned food drives, distribution of food on Thanksgiving, Christmas parades and more. WCS offered so many volunteer opportunities to help others in various ways.
Academically, WCS was very strong. I personally took many honors and AP courses that were small in numbers in the classroom, which I enjoyed because it meant that I could receive the attention I needed that large public schools are unable to offer. All of the teachers are dedicated to the their jobs, and it is quite obvious that they all love what they do. In particular, Dr. Nicol, Madame Brazeau, Mr. Gray and Mr. Dulin helped me through a lot, inside and outside of the classroom.
Mr. Gray, my Bible teacher, had always been a great teacher and just a jolly guy. We always bonded over the Red Sox and the Patriots because we both used to live in New England. Mr. Gray was also a supervisor for the foreign exchange trip that I took in my ninth-grade year. We traveled to France and Spain, and some of my friends and I joked around with Mr. Gray and called him “father duck” because he always led us around Europe and looked after us as if we were his own.
Another teacher that was a supervisor of the France and Spain trip was Madame Brazeau, who undeniably is one of my favorite (if not my top favorite) teacher of Wellington Christian School. I took French for 5 years, from 7th to 11th grade not only because I developed a love for learning the French language and French culture, but because I wanted a reason to have Madame Brazeau as a teacher.
Another extremely dedicated teacher is Dr. Nicol, a science teacher at WCS. He is one of the sternest teachers at WCS, but is also one of the kindest, knowledgeable, down-to-earth people I have ever met in my entire life.
I would not be where I am today without the building blocks WCS gave me. The friends I made, both in students and teachers, are people I will cherish for the rest of my life. It would be absolutely heartbreaking for WCS to have to close down the high school.
Courtney Allen-Perrault, Royal Palm Beach
