Gazettes – August 25, 2015
Two years ago, Alexis “Shafira” Cunningham was a fourth grade student with little confidence because she was bullied.
She said she was teased, punched, kicked and pushed by other classmates on a daily basis at Frank C. Leal Elementary School in Cerritos.
“It was tough,” Cunningham said. “I didn’t have a lot of friends.”
Cunningham said she stuttered while she read, which caused her to read very slowly. As a result, this was a big source of teasing. Cunningham’s mother Maya Cunningham said her daughter had very little confidence when it came to reading and Alexis also had no desire to even read in front of her.
Maya Cunningham said she made the decision to put her daughter into an online school because Cunningham’s teacher said the bullying was causing her to lose focus on learning and was causing her to fall behind in school. Maya said the California Virtual Academy@ Los Angeles (CAVA) has worked out for the better.
“School was once a source of anxiety,” Maya said. “She is really excited about it now.”
The online, tuition-free public school removed bullying from Cunningham’s life completely. With the help of tutoring and speech classes, Maya said her daughter’s confidence has grown tremendously. She now volunteers to read out loud in the virtual classroom with other classmates and teachers.
April Warren, academic administrator of CAVA, said online schools have been gaining popularity over the years due to bullying and unsafe campuses. According to BullyingStatistics.org, more than 3.2 million students are the victim of bullying each year and 17% of American students report being bulled two to three times a month.
The school, Warren said, also allows students to have more flexibility and focus on subjects they struggle with. With 3,000 students, she said CAVA students are mostly average students who learn differently than those in regular schools.
“The virtual classrooms allow teachers to record lessons, and students can come back to catch up on a lesson if they weren’t available at the time of the lesson,” Warren said.
Alexis said she requires that flexibility as she builds her music career. She said she would like to become a performer like Beyoncé or Alicia Keyes. Outside of school, Alexis spends four hours every day singing and dancing so she can perfect her craft. She also said she runs a mile every day to build her stamina.
The once nervous reader is now a fully self-confident performer. She sang the “National Anthem” at several college football and basketball games and even NBA games. She performed in front of 20,000 people at a Los Angeles Clippers game.
“I was nervous at first,” Alexis said. “But after a few times, it’s not really a big deal anymore.”
Cunningham, who goes by Alexis Shafira on stage, has performed at numerous Long Beach events. During the 2014 and 2015 school year, she was the little girl with a big voice who sang the “National Anthem” for Long Beach State basketball games.
She also has performed at the Long Beach Bayou Festival in June and won KJHL radio station’s 5 Minutes of Fame competition. She was selected out of thousands from the competition to be the opening act for the radio station’s summer concert at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach.
Alexis may not know what the future has in store for her, but said one thing is for certain. She wants to be the biggest superstar she can be.
Read more: http://www.gazettes.com/news/education/bullied-student-blossoms-into-a-confident-reader-and-performer/article_824831ce-4b6c-11e5-977d-bf4eb19179c3.html