August 2013 First week with Shannon and James starting RPM and the road to a “real education”.
Four years later…the week before senior year in High School!
My Senior Year 2017-18
This coming Monday I begin my senior year of high school and my second year of college at NOVA. I am both excited and nervous. I look forward to the new challenges and learning new material, but my teacher of four years will not attend classes with me this semester or teach me any subjects at home. She is taking a break from my studies in order to spend much deserved time with her family.
Four years ago we both began our journey with RPM and we have flourished together. She promised to stay with me through high school and she has been with me every step of the way. I was always her priority and I know that she will always be part of my family. As much as I am going to miss her and as nervous as I am to not have her with me, I know she is not really abandoning me. She has trained my team and will continue to care about my success and progress. I hope she will return this spring to again be my partner and teacher. In the meantime, I will have to become the person she always believed I could be.
This semester I am enrolled to take two courses at NOVA, one film class with my home school group, and will continue my Spanish at home. I will try to write updates as I go, but we will see how busy I become. Thank you for following my journey and supporting me.
Returning James 
James, I miss you and am so proud of you bud! Know that you have a friend all the way up in Massachusetts who is in your corner and prays for you often. I love you brother!!
-CJ-
Wow! Four years makes such a difference! Your picture shows a great maturing over those years and I know that so much progress has been made in your life. I have great confidence in your ability to keep moving forward, James, and to learn from mistakes and keep trying. Your tenacity and perseverance are two of the many outstanding qualities you have which bring so much hope for the future. Blessings and, “Way to go, James!”
~Mrs. Rieman
James, you jumped grades more rapidly than I’ve ever heard of before in the last four years. It’s hard for me to imagine that you’re now a senior in high school! You are a determined and courageous young man. So proud of you. Hope and pray this is the best year yet, even though I know you’ll miss Shannon.
~ Carol