More than 11 years ago, Stacey Todd failed to graduate from Sandys Secondary School by two credits.

But Thursday night, the 28-year-old Staples employee proudly received her diploma from the Bermuda's section of the Clonlara home schooling programme -- and this, said Ms Todd, may be only the beginning.

Ms Todd is one of four graduates from this year's Clonlara school -- which started with seven students -- including Penny Grant, Laurie Joseph and Rookmin King.

Clonlara is an alternative education school based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was started 31 years ago by director Pat Montgomery.

The home-based education currently has close to 8,000 students enrolled from all over the US and more than 25 countries.

Clonlara administrative assistant Terri Wheeler was visiting the Island to be on-hand for Thursday's graduation ceremony at the Chamber of Commerce and explained to The Royal Gazette the philosophy behind the school.

"Clonlara is different because you're learning through life experience rather than just textbooks -- we don't even encourage families to buy textbooks because they think if they don't have a book, they can't learn,'' she said.

"But children who are home schooled are more innovative... you never tire of learning because you're learning all the time and it becomes a way of life.

"They don't have the attitude that when you come home from school and finish your homework, learning stops -- this is continuous learning,'' she added.

Bermuda's section director Merle Swan Williams stated: "Clonlara is different from the GED because there's more project work, more detailed work and more college prep-type work.'' "So if the student wishes to go to college, their transcript will show that they have worked independently and done in-depth research,'' she added.

Ms Todd said she decided to become enrolled at Clonlara because every job she applied for asked for the diploma.

She stated: "I always knew the importance of having a high school diploma because without mine, I felt stuck -- without this very important document, I was going nowhere.'' "The Clonlara school is very different because you make up the schedule yourself and you're responsible for everything you do and I can still work.

"And I'm ecstatic -- no matter how long it took, it feels like such an achievement,'' she added.

Ms Todd told The Royal Gazette that as a Clonlara student, she had the opportunity to study on her own without the pressure encountered by older students returning to the classroom.

"The idea of a classroom setting intimidated me -- but my self-esteem is much higher now and I feel more confident,'' she said.

Ms Todd said she planned to further her educational career as soon as possible -- and said she wanted to attend college next year to study computer technology.

Another Clonlara graduate, Penny Grant, left the former Warwick Secondary school when she was 16 because she was a "very shy, introverted nervous child'' who was fearful of taking exams.

She became one of the first students to attend Bermuda College in 1972 and went on to a successful career as a technical officer dealing with surveys and census at the Statistician's Department.

But at 43, Mrs. Grant still felt there was something missing -- and decided she owed it to herself to get her high school diploma.

"I felt I had deprived myself because I hadn't graduated from high school -- I felt left out even though I've been at the same job for the past 17 years,'' she said.

The Clonlara style of learning was well-suited to Mrs. Grant who had several years of work experience, although she said the programme was challenging and she received maths tutoring.

She is a woman working two jobs, and the flexibility of the programme allowed her to study at home and during lunch breaks.

Mrs. Grant said she kept the fact that she was seeking her degree a secret from everyone except for her husband -- and now that she has graduated, she received great encouragement from her friends and family.

"There are a lot of people out there that didn't graduate from high school, but I felt I needed to do it for myself,'' she said.

"And Merle is a great person and a great inspiration -- many times I've called her and wanted to give up, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

"I feel so proud of myself -- I never felt this way, I'm ready to burst!'' she exclaimed.

Anyone wanting information about Clonlara should contact Merle Swan Williams on 292-2030.