Finding His Confidence: How the Right School Helped Reese Thrive

For Reese, finding the right school meant finding a place where he could be seen, supported, and encouraged to grow.

Now entering second grade, Reese has spent the past two and a half years at Bishop McManus Academy, where his mother, Ryaunte, says he has flourished academically, socially, and personally. But his journey to Bishop McManus began with a difficult school experience that left their family searching for something different.

Reese first attended another school after spending much of his early childhood learning and growing during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a delayed talker, he sometimes struggled to communicate with his peers, which contributed to frustration and made it difficult for him to feel comfortable in his first school environment.

"He was very much in his shell," Ryaunte says. "He would get frustrated because he wasn't able to communicate as well as his peers."

Then, halfway through the school year, Ryaunte's family made the decision to move Reese to Bishop McManus Academy. The school was already familiar to his grandmother, who lived less than a mile away and had heard wonderful things about it. She encouraged the family to schedule a tour and see if it might be a better fit.

It was.

From the beginning, the smaller school environment made a difference for Reese. With fewer students and more opportunities for individualized attention, his teachers were able to understand his needs and help him find ways to succeed.

"He gets all his needs met there," Ryaunte says. "It's a much smaller, more intimate setting where he has a great learning environment because of that."

At Bishop McManus, Reese receives the individualized support his family had been looking for. He was able to undergo a full evaluation and begin receiving speech services on campus once a week as part of his school day.

But the impact of his new school reached far beyond academics and speech development. Over time, Reese began to come out of his shell. The little boy who once struggled to communicate and lacked confidence began discovering his voice and learning that he had something valuable to contribute.

"His confidence level and his personality have bloomed and blossomed by leaps and bounds," Ryaunte explains.

That growth became especially evident during Reese's first-grade year, when he ran for and was elected as his classroom representative. For Ryaunte, the achievement was about more than holding a classroom position. It represented just how far her son had come. The confidence that once seemed difficult to find was now helping Reese step forward, take on responsibility, and become a leader among his classmates.

Bishop McManus has also given Reese opportunities to grow as part of a community. Ryaunte appreciates that the school's approach focuses not only on academic achievement, but also on helping students learn how to contribute to and care for the people around them.

"They are learning how to be a part of a community and how to be good contributing members of a community," she says.

Through schoolwide activities and family events, students are given opportunities to learn, build relationships, and simply enjoy being kids. From petting zoos to holiday celebrations, Ryaunte says the school makes an effort to bring families together and create experiences that extend beyond the classroom.

For Reese, those experiences have helped make school a place where he feels comfortable being himself. And for his family, having access to that environment has been made possible in part through an Arete scholarship.

Reese became an Arete scholar when he began kindergarten. Ryaunte first learned about Arete through Bishop McManus, which encourages families to explore scholarship opportunities. For their family, the scholarship has been more than financial assistance; it has helped make it possible for Reese to remain in a school where he is thriving.

"It would have been significantly harder for us to maintain his enrollment there without it," Ryaunte says.

As one of three children, Ryaunte knows firsthand how meaningful that support can be for a family. Reese's younger brother will begin kindergarten this year, and the family has also applied for an Arete scholarship for him.

With Reese entering second grade, his family hopes his journey at Bishop McManus is only the beginning. Their plan is for him to remain at the school through eighth grade, giving him the stability of a familiar environment and teachers who know him well. Ryaunte believes that consistency, combined with the school's small setting, will continue to help Reese reach his potential.

"I think from now through eighth grade, he's going to have a very positive impact on his education because of the small setting of the school and the fact that the teachers and the staff can pour into the students," she says. "They don't get lost in large numbers."

That individualized attention has been especially important for Reese. Instead of allowing challenges to become obstacles, his teachers can identify areas where he needs additional support and help him build on his strengths.

"If there is a weakness, it's able to be identified and nurtured," Ryaunte says.

Today, Reese is not the same little boy who arrived at Bishop McManus in the middle of the school year. He is a student who has discovered greater confidence, developed his communication skills, built relationships with his classmates, and learned that his voice matters.

His story is a reminder of what can happen when a child is allowed to learn in an environment that meets them where they are and then gives them room to grow.

For Ryaunte, the difference is something she sees every day. And she knows that without the support of an Arete scholarship, providing Reese with that opportunity would have been much more difficult.

"Our family is grateful for the benefit of the scholarship and the impact that it has had on our son, who has been able to grow and develop so much as a result of the scholarship," she says. "Without it, it may be a challenge for us to do this for him."

Her gratitude extends beyond what the scholarship has provided for her own family. She hopes donors understand that their generosity is creating tangible opportunities for students like Reese. Opportunities to find their confidence, discover their strengths, and become the people they can become.

"It's important work that they're doing, making this available to families," Ryaunte explains.

For Reese, that opportunity has already made a lasting difference. At Bishop McManus, he found more than a school. He found a community that saw his potential, supported his needs, and encouraged him to step confidently into his own voice. And now, as he heads into second grade, Reese is ready to keep growing, keep learning, and keep showing just how far the right opportunity can take a child.