It was 2002 that I entered the doors of City on a Hill as a 9th grader, when it was still located at the Huntington YMCA, and I read Shakespeare for the first time. After four years of challenging college preparatory classes, over 100 hours of community service, countless Friday Town Meetings, and home basketball games taking place at the YMCA gym, it was finally time for me to take what I had learned and use it to further my education. For four years at City on a Hill I was taught to believe that I held the key to my future, and with that in mind I headed off to Centre College with a Posse Scholarship in one hand and my City on a Hill diploma in the other. Despite being 1,500 miles away from home, I felt confident knowing that my CoaH community would be traveling with me in spirit as well.
Everyone can agree that City on a Hill is rigorous in terms of academics, but an aspect of City on a Hill that is just as important is giving back to the community. In meeting the community service graduation requirements, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience volunteering with an organization that focused on HIV/AIDS education. It was this internship that helped me to realize where I belonged when I got older. I knew I wanted to use education to benefit a community that helped make me who I am today.
For me, City on a Hill is that place. I am grateful for the opportunities I've received as a result of my CoaH education. For that reason, I have chosen to return to City on a Hill to educate students, not only about the importance of Shakespeare and research papers, but also the importance of giving back to the community, especially the City on a Hill community. I am a daily reminder to our students that all this hard work is worth it. Meanwhile, I am blessed to have the opportunity to help students foster a love for education that was fostered in me during my high school years.
In each and every one of them I see a younger version of myself.
Claudette Accime is in her first year as an English Teacher at City on a Hill, after being an English Teaching Fellow at CoaH during the 2010-2011 school year. She is a member of City on a Hill's Class of 2006, and graduated from Centre College in 2010. Ms. Accime is also the coach of CoaH's girls basketball team, the Lady Blue Storm.
