New setting benefits Camacho, Larkin

The best turnarounds often take place off the field.

The life of Larkin senior defensive lineman Rocky Camacho has turned around for the better, thanks to a family that cares about him and a school district that has helped him.

The second of three children growing up on the north side of Chicago, Camacho struggled academically in elementary school and junior high. He wanted to learn, but school didn't come as easily to him as it did to other kids.

Discouraged that he couldn't keep up during his freshman year at a city high school, Camacho did what many frustrated young people in his situation do: he skipped regularly and fell in with the wrong crowd.

Unable to keep her son on the right path in that environment and worried for his future, Marisol Camacho sent her oldest son to Elgin three years ago to live with her sister, Rosalyn Acevedo, and her husband, Manuel, who serve as pastors of River of Life Ministries in Chicago.

Rosalyn sat her nephew down for a talk after he arrived. A believer in having a vision for one's future, she wanted to know Rocky's vision of his future.

"Basically, he told me he didn't have any," Rosalyn said. "He told me he didn't see himself doing anything six months, a year from now. That was a concern for me because without vision he's not going to have anything to strive for."

Camacho enrolled at Larkin High School, but old problems redeveloped. He was disruptive in class, didn't listen to his teachers, started a couple of fights. Once he walked out of a class and right out of the school, he said.

Rosalyn asked for her nephew to be evaluated more in depth. She believed his acting out was merely symptomatic of a larger problem. Her instincts were right. Tests revealed Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), one of the most common mental disorders that develop in children, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Children with ADHD have trouble functioning in many settings, including school, home and in peer relationships.

With this new information in hand, it was determined the best place for Camacho to learn was the Central Schools program of Elgin Area School District U-46.

Located in downtown Elgin, the Central Schools consist of three alternative education programs servicing students who aren't successful in the traditional high school setting for various reasons. A student can be directed there due to a learning disability, cognitive disability, a behavioral problem, speech and language issues, and autism, among other reasons.

Camacho was given an Individualized Education Program (IEP) tailored to his needs and placed in the Central Schools' Moving On program. The goal of Moving On is to help students deal with their academic or social issues and eventually transition back to the traditional high school setting.

Soon Camacho began to thrive. He was able to focus and concentrate better in smaller classrooms with one-on-one attention. His grades steadily improved. Suddenly, he was interested in school for the first time. Attendance was no longer an issue.

He felt comfortable enough to join the Central Schools' basketball and volleyball teams, which compete against other alternative schools. In a year and a half, Rocky Camacho went from being a problem student to a model student. He even makes a habit of checking in every morning with Central Schools principal Tracy Morton, just to say hello and see if she needs anything. "Rocky has done excellent here," said Morton, who is in her second year as Central Schools principal.

"It's a very good school," Camacho said. "It changed me. All the teachers and the classes are perfect. You can get a lot of one-on-one help. The deans, everybody is friendly, kind. When you need somebody to talk to about the problems that you have, they're right there for you. They know how to deal with you. It's a perfect school. I love it."

By the middle of the 2007-08 school year, Camacho had met his IEP goals within the Moving On program and was deemed ready to rejoin the traditional class setting at Larkin part time. It was agreed he would transition back to Larkin for two periods, beginning this fall.

Due to his positive experience with sports at the alternative school, Camacho expressed interest in playing football at Larkin, though he had never played before. He filled out all the necessary forms and showed up at summer camp.

Turns out, Big Rocky can play some ball. With a body made for stopping running backs, Camacho was given a shot on the defensive line and played his way into a starting role. He has started every game this season and has made 4 sacks. He is the second-leading tackler among defensive linemen for the 4-4 Royals, who can qualify for playoff consideration with a win Friday at Waubonsie Valley.

"Rocky this season has worked as hard as anybody we have on the team," Larkin coach Matt Gehrig said. "He has shown that he loves playing the game and he loves being a part of this team. For a guy who is in his first year ever playing football, he's done very well.

"He's naturally a big, strong kid, and he's just been as coachable as can be. He's shown up to practice and has listened to everything we've taught him and has given it his best effort. I'm pretty proud of him."

Camacho has enjoyed the football experience.

"I wish I could have got into it a long time ago instead of screwing around and doing other things," he said. "Now that I'm in it, I love it. I don't want to stop playing it. I want to work harder and get into a college now to play football."

The boy who three years ago couldn't envision his future is now a responsible young adult excited for what lies ahead six months from now, a year from now.

On schedule to graduate in the spring, Camacho said he is grateful to his family for guiding him in the right direction both academically and spiritually. He also tips his hat to his teachers at the Central Schools for showing him a different path than the one he knew.

"Everything seems different to me now," Camacho said. "I knew a lot of things that were happening weren't right, that I wasn't doing right. They showed me how I could change, that I could become something better if I try my hardest, that I can be a person who does things the right way through getting an education, by earning it."

That's a turnaround we can all cheer.