They wore the typical caps and gowns to the ceremonies, but 25 students who just graduated from Mehlville and Oakville senior high school took anything but a typical path to complete their high school education.

The students were all enrolled in the Mehlville School District’s Alternative Academy program.

“A typical student is one who has not been successful in a traditional classroom,” Alt Academy Director John DeWalle stated in a news release. “The reasons could be medical. They could be home life. They could be academic. We can provide closer support to those students than they can in a classroom with 30 kids.”

Wendy Carmack is one of the Alt Academy students who received her diploma from Mehlville High School on June 2. Carmack had medical issues that kept her away from school, and the death of her father was part of the reason she needed to work to help support her family.

“If you would have asked me three years ago I would not be like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to graduate.’ I would probably drop out of high school and end up working at a low-end place,” she stated in the release.

Rather than quit school, she got a job during the days and did her high school class work online at night through the Alt Academy.

Carmack praised the Alt Academy program for helping her learn how to manage her time better and giving her the confidence that she could be successful in life.

“It made me realize that I can do a lot more than I thought I was capable of,” Carmack stated. “I’m actually the first person in my family to graduate. It changed my life, honestly. I can’t explain how blessed I am to have this program.”

During the 2013-2014 school year, the Alt Academy expects to have 35 students complete their educational requirements and become high school graduates.