Transforming Struggles into Success: Lucas Mychajlyszyn's Inspiring Journey at YMCA Academy and Its Impact on His Academic Career
By Lucas Mychajlyszyn
I’m Lucas. I’m a recent graduate from the YMCA Academy. I joined in 2019 in Grade 7 for the second year of middle school.
After struggling for years with the traditional elementary school system, I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia in Grade 3. While I’m very creative, my diagnoses affect the way I learn and I have slower processing skills. It would mean that my elementary school classmates would easily keep up with their work, assignments, and lessons, while it would take me weeks to catch up, if at all. And that includes being overwhelmed despite getting help from my family and tutors.
My elementary school had a Home School Program (HSP), where a teacher assisted me until fourth grade. I preferred the morning sessions with fewer than 10 students, but the afternoons in a class of over 35 were incredibly challenging. Most days, I would cry and beg my parents to let me stay home or homeschool me.
When I joined YMCA Academy, we learned that my struggles were related to anxiety. After eight years of barely keeping up in school, I realized I needed a change. After what felt like a year of searching for a better option, we finally found YMCA Academy. The relief I felt was immense, and from my first tour, I knew it was the best fit for me and my academic journey.
When I arrived at YMCA Academy, I finally found myself in a school with people who understood me. The students and some staff were like me and had similar struggles. The class sizes were very small compared to those of a traditional school,ith the class sizes maxed at 13 students.
Other benefits of YMCA Academy that genuinely helped me gain confidence in my academic abilities include:
- Small Class Sizes: This allowed me to receive more individualized support from my teachers, making it much easier to focus in a quiet environment.
- Adaptable learning support: Throughout elementary school, I really struggled with reading and writing. At YMCA Academy, the staff accommodated me with one-on-one help, discussions of learning materials, and extra time to complete assignments, tests, and exams.
- Hands-on/Experiential Learning: At the Academy, not all of our time is spent in the classroom or on assignments. We do hands-on lessons in class, as well as activities and field trips across Toronto, including an annual overnight trip to YMCA Cedar Glen (for the whole school) and YMCA Camp Pine Crest (for Grades 11–12 only). We also take a yearly full-school trip to the Toronto Islands and occasionally attend Mirvish Productions shows. Students widen their learning experiences through programs such as cooperative education (for high school students) and environmental stewardship.
- Personal Supports: The Student Life Counsellor offers personal and responsive guidance to students, helping them with problem-solving, emotional regulation, self-advocacy, and impulse control. Staff regularly communicate about students’ mental health and accommodations.
- Academic Support: After my ADHD and Dyslexia diagnosis and the switch to YMCA Academy for middle school, my family and I instantly loved its academic environment. If I needed extra time to complete assignments, unless it was the day before they were due, teachers would give me the time I needed (within reason), which helped take lots of the pressure off.
After six years (the second year of the middle school program) and with the support of all the teachers and staff, as well as all the accommodations and developments to my Individual Education Plan (IEP) put into place, I feel ready and excited for college and whatever challenges await.
Now, I feel incredibly confident in my academic abilities; I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, with truly amazing friends. If someone had told me in Grade 3that I would be going to college,I probably wouldn’t have known what that meant. However, I’m now incredibly happy to have been accepted into college and pursue my dream of studying film. I can’t wait! And I owe it all to my family, YMCA Academy, and all the teachers and staff who have helped me throughout my six-year journey with YMCA Academy.
I started with the second year of middle school and am a part of the first group of middle school students to graduate from the full program (middle school and high school). Thank you for reading my blog right to the end! I hope you learned something. If your child is struggling in traditional schools, YMCA Academy can help them blossom and find the happiest version and most confident version of themselves.
