Vincent Gray Academy recently celebrated graduating its 300th student.
These students might otherwise be lost to a vicious cycle of poverty.

Vincent Gray Academy Offers Second Chances

All Dominick wanted was a second chance. A chance to earn a high school diploma, a chance to escape lifelong poverty, a chance to turn his life around. Luckily, he found his second chance at Vincent Gray Academy, an alternative high school in East St. Louis.

 Dominick had struggled in his public high school and eventually left. All it takes is a few lost years, and many students find themselves out of options: too old to attend traditional high school, but not prepared for post-secondary education or able to get skilled jobs.

“Before I came here, I felt I wasn’t learning anything. I didn’t care if I passed or failed. But Vincent Gray lent me a hand when I needed it,” says Dominick, who went on to study graphic design at Southwestern Illinois College after earning his diploma from Vincent Gray Academy last year.

Established by the Marianist brothers in 1980 and named after a well-known local African American teacher, Vincent Gray Academy receives substantial support from the Vincentians. Father Dan Kearns, CM, joined the staff in 1989 and has served as the school’s executive director since 1995.

Vincent Gray’s students are young men and women between the ages of 17 and 24. Although unsuccessful in a traditional high school setting, they have realized the value of a high school diploma and chosen to return to school. In many cases, students are balancing jobs, children and their education, often with little support at home.

“We don’t have a typical student. The only thing they have in common is they’ve been deemed “uneducable” or have otherwise been unsuccessful in a traditional school setting,” says Fr. Kearns. “These students are some of the most underserved and abandoned people in our area. In East St. Louis, the high school graduation rate is alarmingly low, the unemployment rate is higher than the norm, and 95 percent of our students live below the poverty line.

“We give chances to students who are otherwise out of chances. What we’re doing has a high payback, because without a high school diploma, many of these students are headed for a life of poverty and crime. We are dedicated to advancing lives and breaking the cycle of poverty for families,” he says.

The school serves approximately 40 students at any given time. Students’ length in the program varies according to the credits they need to graduate, and new students are continually rotated in. There is a waiting list to get in, but once enrolled, students find a focused academic program that is structured to help them succeed, and a climate of respect and support.

Last year, the school changed its name from Vincent Gray Alternative High School to Vincent Gray Academy. The new name better reflects the culture of the school, and avoids the stigma associated with the term “alternative high school.” Fr. Kearns says, “Our students are motivated to succeed, and we have no more disciplinary problems than any other school serving this age group. Respect for the students is at the core of everything we do. We have faith in redemption. We believe no one is beyond help or hope.”

The school lost its long-term lease of a former school building last year and is actively searching for a permanent new home. In the meantime, it is conducting classes in a
modest building located in downtown East St. Louis, close to public transit. It’s nothing fancy, but no one seems to mind. Nothing compares to the beauty of a second chance.