RED ROPE – Middle School Academic Achievement

Even though I was in special education, even though I had to leave the main building every day and walk to a dreary trailer that sat in plain view of the entire school — often trudging through pouring rain — I still managed to achieve something meaningful.

By the time the final bell rang on my last day at Charles W. Lewis Middle School, I had earned Honor Roll. I had also won several art contests. On paper, it might not have seemed like much. We all knew how low the bar was set for special education students. But I took it seriously. I poured everything I had into it.

Outside of class, my real education was happening at home. That’s where I truly challenged myself. At my IKEA desk-bed combo — that clunky, awe-inspiring unit that somehow held my whole world — I built mountains and then climbed them. Art, self-expression, and comic books became my obsession. I studied them with the same intensity other kids gave to sports or academics.

By the end of eighth grade, I had grown in ways no report card could measure. I was no longer just surviving school. I was becoming an artist.

PETER A DELUCA AKAPD

AKAPAD is a versatile thinker known across Philadelphia, Europe, and even in the vast Multiverse as The Electic One. By day, he excels as an IT Mastermind, assisting individuals, both big and small, with a wide range of simple and complex solutions. In contrast, he is also a talented illustrator, a passionate comic book enthusiast, a creative content creator, and an active live streamer. Additionally, his podcast, “AKAPAD The Film Buff Podcast,” boasts an impressive catalog of over 500 episodes available on nearly every major platform.