My name is Ronaldo Benitez, I am a student at Phoenix Christian and I like many things. I like school so much and I like all of my subjects which are World History, Math, Spanish, Bible, Integrated Science, robotics, and English. I also like two sports. I like to play and watch baseball and I only like to watch soccer. I like to play video games and the only video games I play are Fortnite, Rocket League, Among us, and Geometry Dash. I like to go outdoors as well. When I grow up, I want to be an architect designing buildings and houses. I have an app about architecture and currently I’m designing how my future house would look like. I like to listen to music as well, especially Christian music. I also like studying the Bible and getting to know more about God. In case you were wondering I am 15 years old and I first came to Phoenix Christian in my eighth-grade year.
My family chose for me to attend this school because in my old public school called Pendergast Elementary School I had many difficulties, both with learning and with people. My teachers in my old school didn’t care about the students and they just let them pass with failing grades. I had issues with bullies as well and when I tried to report them, the principal, the counselor, and my teachers wouldn’t do anything and sometimes they would laugh at me. I was like why, are adults bullying me?! It was tormenting for me in that school. It was like an asylum. Everyone was always out of control. Adults wouldn’t do anything at all. Sometimes they would do something but they wouldn’t do enough. Some teachers even thought I had mental issues. I was always a good student with good manners and I was always very smart but my teachers only chose those who were cool and popular and they thought of me as if I had mental issues and offended me badly and let others bully me. They probably saw that as entertainment for them. Teachers only came to school mainly to get a good paycheck although they never taught well and didn’t care about the students’ education. They did what they wanted. Everyone at my old school bullied each other and did many inappropriate things to each other. There was a lot of chaos and mostly everybody didn’t seem to care about school and didn’t seem to have God. My life was bitter back then. When I moved to Phoenix Christian, everything changed.
Three things I like about this school is that it has a great environment and great education, greater than I can describe it. But the most important thing about this school that I like is that it has God. God is in this school and I feel very grateful and blessed to be in this school. Phoenix Christian has great education and the teachers are strict in a good way about classwork, homework, grades, and about other things that have to do with academics. This school has many sports that someone can choose from and many other activities such as robotics and language classes, choir, theatre, band, and many more! It’s a great environment because there is control everywhere and the principal, teachers and other adults take bullying and self-control very seriously and fairly. Teachers also take cheating very seriously and are aware of everything students do. All of the adults on-campus care for us and want us to become mature individuals when we grow up and also want us to become mature and righteous followers of God. They want us to have a great future. They care for us because they love us. Students behave well and focus on school and are good-mannered.
It’s a blessing that this school has God. Even if you believe or don’t believe in God, he is real and he shows it to us. Maybe not today, maybe it already happened or you forgot but he will keep showing you – maybe tomorrow or at some point in your life. God wants us to be saved through his son Jesus. God builds us up as we grow and mature. He guides us by encouraging us and supporting us when we are walking in anguish, despair, without peace and joy. He strengthens us and councils us. He grants eternal life to those who follow Jesus‘ teachings. The angels are there too to helps us always.
God gives us hope, joy, and peace. God loves us. His love for us is immeasurable. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present, meaning He is everywhere, and He is all good. He guides us through his righteous path of all good and corrects us when we are doing wrong. God is real, Jesus is real, The Holy Spirit is real, the angels are real, heaven and hell are real, everything the Bible says is true. The Bible dares us to test it if it is a living book. It is up to us to believe what the Bible says is true. God wants us to be saved from hell and he wants us to dwell with Him in Heaven. He has a special place for us in heaven. God is all good and He is perfect. One day He will come to rescue us from this corrupted world. We must be prepared and believe and trust in Him with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul. We shall also share the gospel and the word of God with others so others might be saved. Again, it’s a choice to follow God or not follow him. But behold, God’s son Jesus will come and save us from this world. So that we will have everlasting life with God in heaven.
The difference receiving a scholarship has made in my life is that I am so grateful that I am in this wonderful, magnificent school! It’s as if I had another family there. A family whom God put me in. It changed my way of thinking and reshaped my mindset and this school changed my life in a good way forever. I am so fortunate to be in this facility. It’s a blessing from God. I never knew I was going to get accepted. I’m glad I did. This school changed my heart and drew me closer to God. I feel very comfortable in this school. I feel happier. I gained more faith, hope, and love. I feel joy in my heart. My life is not bitter anymore and not a lie anymore as it was back then but now my life is completely new with real friends and caring teachers and adults. God put me there for a reason and I feel glad about that.
Before I was lost and I was falling apart, but then God came along and helped me and saved me from that hole of despair, of anguish, of negativity, and of all that is evil and put me in a place where His presence reigns. I have learned a lot at this school and I have changed a lot since I moved there. I have met many people whom now I see as family. I found the real me and found God when I came to this school.
I do believe more families should have the same opportunity in receiving a scholarship or exercising school choice because freedom is very important to us humans. We should all decide on what to do and on what not to do. God created everyone with free will. The school I am now is a marvelous school with many opportunities for students to succeed in life and also to prepare them for their future. This school is also a religious school that has God and with God, we have a purpose but without God life just doesn’t make sense.
This school teaches students about God and of his word. It prepares students not just to have a great future and a great life but a great future and life with God. This school also had many programs to participate in that other schools don’t have. There are also events and field trips this school has for students to attend. Also, it has special events for families and adults to attend as well. It even has a Chapel place to worship the Almighty King of heaven and of the earth which is God. It’s a blessing to be accepted at this school. So I think families should have the choice and freedom to come to this school. This is a school of great education, of a great environment, and of God the ruler above all that He has created. The message I would like to leave about my public school experience is to keep walking with God even through hard circumstances because God is with you and always with you guiding you towards his kingdom and building you as you grow.
School choice or school freedom means a blessing to me. I love being in this school. I love it with my heart and love everything about this school. It’s a miracle from God as well that I am in this school and that God saved me from my old public school and that now I am in a private, Christian school. It is a gift from God that I am in this school. I’m glad that from my choice I got accepted to this school. Thank you God!