Perseverance over perfection

FREMONT — Buckeye Community School graduated its second class of graduates on June 4. The school, located in Fremont, bills itself as a public high school with an alternative environment. Rather than the traditional six-hour school day with classrooms of about 20 students, Buckeye allows students to work at their own pace, on their schedules and one-on-one with instructors and individual learning plans. In its second year of operation, the school graduated its students in front of about 350 loved ones at Terra State Community College. The event featured a National Anthem performance by Sandusky County Sheriff Chris Hilton and speeches presented by two graduates, Bella Trautsch and Neveah Evans. Bella Trautsch In her speech, Trautsch told her story, including a flashback to a recent event. She was driving in the rain with her mother, little sister and manager. She started to have a panic attack; she could not see the road and was hydroplaning. She thought he was going to crash. "I had my mom switch seats with me because I was in no shape to drive," Trautsch said. "I knew I had my sister Journey watching over us and keeping us safe. All of this has shown me that life is unpredictable." Earlier this year, Trautsch was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. She has panic attacks, which led to passing out and at times she stops breathing. At the same time, her mother needed back surgery. "I couldn't deal with it all at once," Trautsch said. "That's when my cousin, Brayden, and his mom, Alex, recommended Buckeye Community School to me." Trautsch said the school helped her with stress management and the pressure of school. She said she was beyond grateful for the school's staff, specifically mentioning intervention specialist Angela Dziak, who has worked with her through her recent situations. Growing up, Trautsch explored several career paths. She started with plans of becoming a teacher, then joining the National Guard so she could follow in her "Opa's" footsteps. In her ninth-grade year, when her sister died, her plans changed to become a police officer. "Since I've been through so much and know the pain of most things, I will be able to help people in most situations," Trautsch said. Trautsch has already taken steps to fulfill this plan. She has a ride-along planned with the Woodville Police Department and has talked with a state trooper who said he would take her under his wing for a day. "I would like to push myself even more into getting into the FBI," Trautsch said. "Until then, I am going to live my life to the fullest. I was told 'Just always remember when it gets hard, you keep going. Hard work pays off.'" Neveah Evans In her speech, Evans spoke on the untold stories belonging to everyone in her graduating class. "Today is more than a ceremony. It's a testament. A story written in quiet resilience and unseen strength," Evans said. "Because behind every cap and gown here, there is a story that most people will never fully know." There are teen parents who are juggling classes while raising a family. Evans said these students would be whispered about, judged, underestimated and told they would never achieve this milestone. "But who still woke up every morning and kept showing up?" Evans said. "You didn't just fight for your future, you fought for someone else's too. And today, you're not just graduating for yourself — you're showing your child what strength really looks like." There are "shadowed kids" who were quiet in the back of the room. They did not receive awards or recognition, but instead battled with broken homes and anxiety. Evans said these battles went unnoticed by others, but they were fought. Evans said there were nights many of the graduates would stay up doing homework until 2 a.m. in tears. They were faced with adult responsibilities at a young age. Some had no support system, safety net or someone to check in on them. Instead, they had to figure everything out on their own. "This graduation isn't about straight A's or perfect attendance," Evans said. "It's about perseverance. It's about those of us who taught ourselves how to keep going when everything in life told us to stop. It's about learning how to parent, how to grieve, how to survive and still somehow turn in assignments on time." Evans also took time to thank those at the school who helped each of the students reach their goal. She specifically thanked Michalene Yanda, Steve Hofacker, Angela Dziak and Ted Patrick. "It's indescribable. I'm incredibly grateful I found a school like Buckeye. Buckeye works in true wondrous ways," Evans said. "The world may not always celebrate our kind of strength. But we don't need their applause. We are proof that resilience doesn't always shout — it endures." Buckeye Community School Class of 2025 • 30 graduates — 3% going to college — 23% entering the workforce — 73% heading to trade school