Army veteran turns young lives around at Pasco County school
DADE CITY, Fla. - The end of the school year can mean bittersweet goodbyes to teachers and education leaders who have made a difference.
For many students at East Pasco Education Academy in Dade City, that person is school social worker, Michael Brooks.
"He's like that in school, father figure. He's very sweet. He's very kind," said student Rhys McKinnon.
I feel like it’s always nice to have (like) a balance of somebody who can give you authority and someone who can level with you," said student Jordan Falcon.
"This school is an alternative school. Primarily, what it is, is for kids who've gotten off track on their regular campuses. And so, they come here, based on the issues and concerns that they had, and to get back on track so they can return back on campus. So, we try to provide them with tools to help them be successful, not just behavioral but also academic wise," said Brooks.
"He's always motivated me to be positive. And, even when, like, I had an incident with another student, he took me out of class, and he told me why. And it really changed my point of view, like my perspective on the whole incident," said student Joshua Nguyen.
Brooks said much of the wisdom that he shares at the school comes from his time serving in the U.S. Army.
"Having older soldiers or older mentors that poured into me, I never thought I'd go to college. For me, to be a school social worker, is to give back. So, I'm giving back to what was given to me, and hopefully in the future, when those young minds, get of age, they will continue to do the same thing. You can make it regardless of the circumstances, or economic situations that you may start out.
"He not only has fought for this country, but he also fights for us in the school," said Falcon.
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"I love him like he's my father because growing up, I really never had a father and never really had a like father to give me the advice that he gives me. And he's that person that gives me that advice that I should have," said Nguyen.
"The common threads that I see in many of the kids many times are broken homes. Many times, there may not be a father or a mother or they live with their grandparents. The socioeconomic status may be, below standard. So, they're, families in need," said Brooks.
"He meets with the family. Everything is done confidentially. He will call those families. He's here late, often, a lot," said Principal Shelley Carrino.
"I still run into some of the kids, and they tell me something I may have said that sparked them to continue on making better choices, because I always tell them there's no such thing as being perfect. It's just basically getting better," said Brooks.
Even when they leave the school, Brooks doesn't leave them.
"I really want to follow them when they move on to the next campus just to see how they're doing. And I think they would like to see that as well to, because I think that gives them that extra energy boost to let them know it doesn't stop here. People still care and they will go out their way to see about you," said Brooks.
"Every school needs a Mr. Brooks," said Falcon.