River HomeLink student finds success in school’s unique approach to education

June 2, 2023

David Tevlin with his teacher, school nurse and grandmother

Even at just 12, David Tevlin towers above his teachers and grandmother

Five years ago, Shelley Fry was at her wits’ end. Her 7-year-old grandson, David Tevlin, was struggling with medical issues that included braces on his feet and legs. He was also falling behind in school due to several learning disabilities. Then, she found some mothers whose children were enrolled at River HomeLink in Battle Ground Public Schools . They urged her to check out the alternative learning school.

Today, at the age of 12, David no longer wears braces. He enjoys reading and writing stories about his favorite subjects. He smiles, laughs and looks forward to coming to class two days a week. The boy who frequently struggled to walk straight even recently won three medals in snowboarding through the Special Olympics.

“When I first came to River, I was this ball of anxiety and awkwardness,” Tevlin said. “The teachers here were really kind and they helped me a lot.”

David especially credits Lisha Cleveland, a CoreLink teacher at the school who specializes in providing a tailored approach to reading and writing. Her class size is typically between 12 and 16 students, and parents of younger students often help out in the classroom.

River HomeLink offers families part- or full-time programs that provide home school, classroom and independent study opportunities. Students are assigned a teacher to meet with regularly. Parents also play an active role in their child’s education, both on campus and at home.

“When David first came in, I just had to get to know him, get him to calm down and talk,” Cleveland said. “Once I got to know his

David Tevlin on the medals stand at the Special Olympics

David waits to receive his medals for snowboarding during the Special Olympics

interests we could start focusing on breaking things up really small for him, working around his physical challenges and finding things that would work to help him learn to read.”

That included techniques like underlining key words with different colors to help David focus on them; centering assignments on his key interests, such as dinosaurs and snowboarding; and “finding the little nooks and crannies where this information would stick in his brain,” as Cleveland puts it.

Because River HomeLink is a co-op with parents, Shelley was able to be in class with David as he adjusted to his new school. Eventually that was phased out to just having her on speed dial. Today, the 12-year-old who stands over 6 feet is able to rise above his anxiety and physical challenges.

“Just seeing David go through the journey of becoming happy and comfortable at school…” Cleveland said, pausing for a moment, “it’s just, you really want this outcome because the opposite of what could happen is just too sad.”

Special Olympics medals

David brought home three gold medals in snowboarding at the Special Olympics in Washington state

Wendy Gahan, BSN, RN a school nurse at River, said they worked with David’s doctors when he first arrived, providing support and managing his health conditions. “He’s just grown so much,” Gahan said, “and I really believe it’s largely thanks to Shelley’s phenomenal care, Ms. Cleveland’s creative and excellent teaching, the health room nurse Lori Friend, LPN, and my support, and River’s partnership/team approach.”

It has, admittedly, been a slow, often painstaking process. David’s learning disability has sometimes caused him to forget things he had previously learned, but not his realization that he used to know it, leading to frustration. But his teachers say David refuses to give up.

“David didn’t have to learn these things just once,” Cleveland said. “He had to do it many, many times. So it was important for him that we have this kind of support and teachers who were willing to put in the work and figure this out for David.”

Heading into eighth grade next year, David is preparing to graduate out of the CoreLink program at River. That will mean dealing with new teachers and larger class sizes, but the teachers who helped him get to this point have all said they’ll still be around and willing to help.

“I’m glad that I found River HomeLink,” Fry said. “There are a lot of kids out there who don’t fit the mold of a regular school and this one does. It’s more relaxed, really friendly and having the other parents around to help out is important too.”

“Knowing that I have a lot of people that will support me when I need it,” David said, “that is awesome.”

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