April 21, 2023
My name is Chayde, and I’m in the 9th grade. Before Cookson Hills, I was always getting into all sorts of trouble. I hung out with the wrong crowd and I was constantly getting bullied. It was causing me to have breakdowns every few hours and sometimes every few minutes. I always felt like I … Continue reading Chayde’s Story of Acceptance
October 18, 2022
You are giving students a musical education that is changing their lives. In the safe space of our music department, students are growing their skills and finding new ways to express their creativity and emotions. Turning heads Lexie came to Cookson Hills with the gift of music, but she struggled with self-confidence. Since joining the … Continue reading You are transforming lives through music
September 28, 2022
Hi. I’m Sidney. I’ve learned a lot in my 18 years of life on earth. But one of the most valuable bits of knowledge that I can share with you is this: There is always a chance to start over, no matter who you are or what you’ve gone through in your life. Life will … Continue reading My Chance to Start Over
September 29, 2021
My name is Eric, and I am originally from Uganda. My family and I came to the United States in 2015. A month before my 13th birthday, my dad told me that I would be going to school. The next thing I knew, I was being dropped off at Cookson Hills. When I first arrived, … Continue reading A future and a flame
September 23, 2021
One of my favorite activities in the spring is watching the horsemanship demonstrations. Students in the class show off what they have learned over the previous months while working with the horses. I like to sit in the front row so that I can see everything. That’s what I did this spring. The students displayed … Continue reading Hope in Horsemanship
September 09, 2021
Growing up I did not have a strong mother figure. I was left so many times by my birth mom and she was never fully there mentally. Between prison and drugs, my mom spent very little time with me. When she stopped calling me altogether I took that really hard. I felt I could not … Continue reading A Totally Different Me
July 29, 2021
It was the last week of the school year and the campus was abuzz with all the end of the year activities; awards night, band concert, field day, and yearbook signing. I was sitting in my classroom chatting with my yearbook co-advisor after class; in bounced Kaytlin. With a grin from ear to ear, she … Continue reading A year to celebrate
July 28, 2021
My name is Alec, and I am 17 years old. I was born in San Antonio to parents who struggled with addiction. At ten years old, we moved to Oklahoma City because my parents wanted to start over. But addiction took over again, and my little brother and I found ourselves in foster care. During … Continue reading Exactly what I needed: Alec’s Story
November 19, 2020
I was at Cookson Hills for just over a year, and every day I learned something new. I always grew up feeling like something was missing. Growing up in an adopted family was hard for me, personally, I always felt lost. I regularly wondered why my birth mom would just give me up as though … Continue reading Tissues and Chocolate
