June 2, 2025
For many students, graduation is a milestone. For Tazavion “Taz” Patterson, a senior at Longview School, it is nothing short of a triumph.
Growing up in the foster care system - moving between families and group homes - Taz’s early life offered little stability. But now, he’s preparing to graduate with A/B honor roll status, bound for Wake Tech Community College and a future in mechanical engineering.
His success is no accident. It’s the result of grit, courage, and the unshakable support of Longview’s staff - his chosen family.
Taz arrived at Longview in middle school, during a time when his world was anything but steady. The school, known for serving students with individualized educational needs, quickly became his sanctuary.
“The staff at Longview was my family when I didn’t have one,” Taz says.
That sentiment echoes throughout Longview, a school whose slogan - “Turning Walls Into Doors” - is more than a motto. It’s a mission fulfilled daily by teachers, counselors, and administrators who meet students where they are and help them see where they can go.
“I knew if I needed to talk to someone here, I could, and I didn’t have to be afraid to express myself,” Taz says. “I came to this school with anger problems and was always fighting. I know I wouldn’t be where I am now without their support.”
Supportive environment
Longview provides small class sizes, individualized instruction, and a deeply supportive environment. Students follow the N.C. Standard Course of Study or the high school Occupational Course of Study. Behavioral support is just as vital as academics.
The school’s Student Support Team, including counselors, psychologists, social workers, and behavior specialists, works with community partners to wrap students in the care they often lack elsewhere.
Math teacher David Westbrook, who has taught across the country, says Longview is unlike anywhere else.
“I’ve worked all over, in huge schools in Texas and juvenile detention centers in New York,” Westbrook says. “But the impact this staff makes, with just six hours a day and kids carrying so much, is phenomenal.”
‘The hard road’
What makes Taz remarkable, Westbrook says, isn’t just his academic growth, it’s his strength of character.
“He had every reason to fall into the chaos that surrounds so many of our kids, but he didn’t,” he says. “He stayed out of the fray. That’s the hard road, and he walked it.”
Even when Taz was moved out of Wake County - far from school and support - Longview didn’t let go.
“We hunted him down,” Westbrook recalls. “Over Christmas, we got gifts together and drove them to him. We Zoomed with him so he could stay connected and not fall behind. That made a difference.”
Despite bouncing between group homes and managing medical issues, Taz never stopped striving.
In the classroom, Taz became a quiet leader, helping classmates, encouraging peers, and modeling what’s possible. Westbrook recalled the camaraderie between Taz and a former student, Josh, who now works for Ford Motor Co.
“They pushed each other in the best way, something rare to see,” Westbrook says.
Taz says it helps being at a school where students understand one another.
“I’ve got a lot of friends here, and we talk about real situations,” he says. “It helps that we have similar backgrounds. We can really rely on each other.”
Sense of belonging
Taz plans to attend Wake Tech and pursue mechanical engineering, but his dream goes beyond degrees. He wants to open his own auto body and collision repair shop to help people who can’t afford to fix their cars.
“He wants to give back,” Westbrook says. “That’s just who he is. The other kids say, ‘Taz will give you the shirt off his back.’ And they respect him so much, they make sure he gets it back.”
Recently, something changed for Taz in the most profound way, he found stability. He now lives with a foster family he proudly calls his parents. After years of transience, he finally has a home.
“I love you, and thank you for stepping up for me,” he says, directing his message to the family who gave him something he never had: a sense of belonging.
Taz plans to live with them until he finishes his degree, around age 19 or 20. Their support, coupled with the foundation built at Longview, has given him both roots and wings.
On the rise
Longview’s graduating class is small - just two students this year - but every success is monumental. The school’s focus on social-emotional learning, family engagement, and individualized support offers students not just an education, but a lifeline.
Taz could have returned to his base school, but he chose Longview. It wasn’t a detour, it was the destination.
“We walked through the process of getting Taz back to his base school,” Westbrook says. “But he made it clear: This is where he wanted to stay.”
When asked what he hopes students like Taz take from his class, Westbrook says “realize where you are, what you can do, and start that path. You can do something other than nothing.”
That philosophy - paired with Longview’s culture of unconditional support and high expectations - helped Taz rise.
When he crosses the graduation stage, Taz will do more than earn a diploma. He will become living proof that when schools turn walls into doors, students can walk through them into a future they never thought possible.
