Girls Academic Leadership Academy easily the worst school I have ever attended. I attended GALA…read moreduring 6th and 7th grade, and while I hoped it would be an empowering, supportive place for girls, it turned out to be anything but that for me. I was indirectly bullied often by people in my own friend group. They made fun of my skirt length, my shoes, my hair, and even my social media posts. Even those I considered close friends ended up talking behind my back.
GALA loves to preach about "leadership," but where's the leadership when it comes to protecting students? They have a real problem holding people accountable. Even when someone causes repeated issues, they refuse to expel or discipline them properly. It's like they're more worried about keeping their record clean than actually creating a safe environment. People like me end up leaving while the problem students stay.
And don't be fooled by the word "leadership" in the school's name. If you're not accepted into the very limited leadership elective, you basically get no real leadership opportunities at all. So unless you're handpicked, you're left out of what they claim to be all about.
Oh, and this is supposed to be a STEM school? Then explain to me why for half the school year, we didn't even have a science teacher. That's not just ironic--it's unacceptable.
Advisories are another joke. They try to brand them as "your family," but I felt completely out of place in mine. I asked to be moved and was told I couldn't because it was a community. I being forced to stay in an uncomfortable environment every morning for 7 years. Yea, no.
The only teacher I had any respect for was Mr. Hale, Mr.Mulka, and Ms. Roque, the computer science teacher, my math teacher and my PE teacher. They were the only adults in the school who made me feel seen, safe, and supported. I'll always be grateful for them.
GALA is great at hiding all of this for sure. And I was fooled and I was excited to go here. But the reality? It gave me anxiety so bad that even the color purple reminds me of how terrible it was. Sure, there are a few nice people at GALA, but not enough to outweigh the toxic environment.
This is just my story. I know some students love GALA and have had positive experiences but that simply wasn't the case for me. If you're considering this school, I strongly encourage you to take everything I've said into consideration and go in with open eyes and mental preparation.