Kayla Washington, who finished atop the school’s 2025 graduating class, said two of her classes have taught her skills she will use well beyond her high school years. Including these skills in curriculum is one of the many reasons Center Line Prep has outperformed the local district since the 2021-22 school year.
One project that helped Washington sharpen her life skills was Tommy Theodore’s civics class where students had to research a career path they were interested in and map out their hypothetical life. Washington and her classmates calculated their salary and then determined what housing they could afford, how they’d pay for a car, what their utility bill would be, and other life expenses.
Washington also said her survey of college math class provided insight into proper money management skills. In the class, Washington said she learned about bank accounts, credit cards, car loans, and a litany of other financial topics. She said learning life skills and money management were important in her high school career.
“It makes you want to pay attention,” Washington said. “They’re teaching something that you’re going to be able to use for yourself. No one is good at everything, but there is stuff everyone needs to know, and I’m glad we learned about it.”
These skills will come in handy next fall when Washington ventures to East Lansing for her freshman year at Michigan State University. Washington’s fascination with how the human mind works and how people behave led her to studying psychology, and she hopes to run her own practice down the line.
Washington has plenty of practice running the show thanks to her involvement in Student Council and the school’s National Honor Society (NHS). Her favorite aspect was bringing students together with various events, such as the Homecoming dance. With NHS, she enjoyed throwing a bake sale to raise funds for a new recycling program.
The 2025 graduate said her relationships with teachers were often helpful, citing a few that she was grateful for. Washington said Theodore was a great motivator and that Kierra James helped improve her writing skills. She recognized how crucial these relationships were and said her advice to any student is to build positive relationships.
“You have to have a good relationship with your teachers,” Washington said. “They need to understand you as a learner and who you are as a person so you can be as successful as you need to be.”
Congratulations, Kayla! Best of luck at Michigan State!
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About Center Line Preparatory Academy
Center Line Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Center Line, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through 12th grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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