By graduating, Foxfire student Tyrell Hunter keeps promise to his mother and grandmother

Editor's Note: The Times Recorder is profiling seniors from area high schools in Muskingum County coinciding with graduations. They were nominated by school administrators.

ZANESVILLE − Tyrell Hunter, 19, will graduate May 16 from Foxfire High School after making a promise to his mom, Lisa Wisecarver, and his grandma, Kathy Wisecarver, that he would.

“That’s the one thing they wanted me to do. That’s the one thing they always asked for,” said Hunter. “So, that’s a big thing for me to do for them.”

It didn’t come easy, either.

“I had a tough time growing up without a father figure. It was hard sometimes,” said Hunter, who played basketball his freshman and senior years at Foxfire. “We had troubles with money growing up, though that got a little bit better.”

Hunter got a job at 14, working at Lind Arena.

“Having a job at a young age (was tough),” said Hunter, who worked full-time for most of his high school years. “I can’t always say I had to help pay bills, but now that I’m older, I feel reliable to help my mom with bills.”

It all affected his academic life.

“When I was younger, I’d get into trouble,” said Hunter. “But you have to grow up sometime. You can’t always do bad things. Having the right mentors, pointing you in the right direction helps. It feels good doing the right things.”

Hunter said everyone at Foxfire was instrumental in helping him move in the right direction.

“They all helped me,” said Hunter. “It was good having someone look forward for you, be happy for you.”

And more than anyone at Foxfire was his mother and grandmother.

“My mom is always there helping me, forcing me to get my schoolwork done and try to do the right thing,” said Hunter. “My Grandma has always been on me about right from wrong. She’s always laying that (law) down.”

Foxfire teacher Dustin Young, who helped Hunter with his graduation credits his junior and senior year, agrees.

“His mom, Lisa, has always been very supportive of him and Foxfire,” said Young. “The first people you should trust in your life is your family. She would check and make sure how’s his grades? How’s he coming along? She was always right there. She has been that constant in (his) life.

And will continue to be as Hunter prepares to graduate and move to the next step, which includes getting a heavy equipment license.

“I’m in the middle of getting enrolled in school for that,” said Hunter.

Young said it’s something Hunter has really been working hard for.

“He put extra time in and got things done faster,” said Young. “He determined what he wanted to do to be a heavy equipment operator.”

And Foxfire supported him every step of the way.

“One of our mottos is that ‘Every child deserves a champion,’ so that’s we do for our kids,” said Young. “The way I can describe Foxfire is that we’re building and developing relationships with students so that they trust us and want to come to school. They want an environment where they feel safe, they can trust their teachers, and once that’s built, then the learning can start.”

Young said Hunter and his classmates were deeply affected by the COVID pandemic and trust was hard to build.

“This group of Tyrell’s, and Tyrell himself, our discussions have talked about missing the tail end of his freshman year and being in and out of the building his sophomore year,” said Young of the pandemic. “There’s a lot to be said for stability. A lot of these kids seek it. It’s hard to build trust when you’re not in a building for two years. But once they were back, now they’re in the building, now we’re developing trust, and now we’re able to say things we might not have been able to say without that trust, and now they can mature.”

And Hunter’s growth and maturity is “proof positive,” Young said, that what Foxfire offers kids is working.

“Kids can come here, and they can change and break out of the stigma of that lens they were viewed in by other people,” said Young. “The maturity and growth (Tyrell) has shown has been so good and such a joy to see, and to experience. To experience it is the reason I get up and come to work.”

And now it’s Hunter’s turn to find his passion after graduation.

“I’m a little bit excited and a little bit scared knowing the real world is actually coming,” said Hunter. “But I know I have a lot of people there to help me and support me.”

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Love and support help Tyrell Hunter graduate from Foxfire High School