Mrs. Kayla's Story

When Paradise Education Center opened in 1998 with a few modular buildings, I was a shy, timid second grader. I spent the next 7 years learning, growing, and making memories with people that would help make me the person I am today. PEC was a safe place, a place where a kiddo could grow confidence in themselves and be challenged to be a better person every day.

Fast forward to September 2021, my daughters are in 4th and 6th grade at Paradise Schools. Choosing Paradise for my children was an easy decision. My husband and I wanted the same quality education and safe learning environment for our girls that I experienced as a child. But Paradise has grown and is even better than it was 20 years ago. My girls love going to school every day because the environment created by our staff is supportive, welcoming, and fosters growth each and every day.

I've worked at PHHS for almost 5 years now. When I interviewed for the job, the faces sitting in front of me were those of people I had known most of my life. But now I was an adult and these people weren't going to go easy on me (honestly, even as my teachers, they never had so I expected nothing less!). I had one question for them, why had they stayed at Paradise all of these years? What made this place so special that they kept coming back every year?

Now that I've been here for a while, I understand and agree with their statements. Each one of them said that they came back every year because this place is like a family and family comes first. But at Paradise, the word "family" encompasses your loved ones that you go home to every night, your fellow staff members, and your students.

This is why we bring our children here, why we return to work here after we are grown, and why we continue to believe in this community. Paradise is HOME!