By Mike Caputo
Dozens made their colorful marks on the wall to the left, which sits in what is known as "the lounge," a place for this particular group of students to do homework, chat and relax. Towards the back, in the center and to the right is where the hard work takes place: the classrooms. Unlike other instructional spaces in the building, these rooms are intimate, probably allowing for only 10 to 15 desks, a teacher's desk with a computer and a blackboard.
At a large table in the middle sits English teacher Dave Yaker, proudly sporting a T-shirt commemorating Ride for Life, a day his students walked eight and a half miles with people who suffer from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
This comfortable setting Yaker sits in could be the home of some kind of honors program. But the room serves as the home of Lawrence High School's BOND program (for Branching Out in New Directions), a learning experience that many participating students and teachers feel honored to be a part of.
Before BOND, Maria Griffin and Lori Koufos simply lacked the motivation to do well or even attend classes. The two BOND students, who recently completed their junior years, recounted being lost in classrooms sometimes filled with 30 students. Griffin and Koufos said it got to a point where teachers made them feel like they were stupid.
Then Yaker and his fellow BOND colleagues entered their lives.
"If I look back in my past history of school, my attendance was horrrible - really horrible," said Griffin, who is entering her senior year. "Being in BOND, my attendance has really improved and I try to be there, but I want to be there now."
Part of BOND's mission statement reflects its service to the "serious student" who wants to succeed in school and graduate with a diploma, but needs the extra attention that may not be available in the mainstream classroom environment. Yaker stressed BOND's mission to offer students something different without compromising the academic structure of the school.
In BOND, students take core courses - math, science, social studies and science - in smaller classrooms, with about only 10 to 15 in a class at a time meaning that increased individual attention becomes more of an option. The BOND instructional staff consists of four teachers, Yaker, math teacher Sal Saraceni, social studies teacher Craig Kaufman and science teacher George Klein.
Statistics have validated the academic success of the BOND students. In the 2006-2007 academic year, all 12 seniors graduated, while there was a 98 percent passing rate for the regents taken among the 46 students who took the examinations. Yaker could not suppress a smile when he talked about his students' academic achievements, especially after where BOND has risen from since its infancy stages.
When the program was originally instituted, the school would send the 50 most misbehaved students, said Yaker. After discussions with administrators, the BOND instructors would work with guidance counselors and teachers to find who they believed would be the right students - students that wanted to succeed, had the capability to shine, but for some reason were not doing well in school, said Yaker.
This spring, more than 75 students applied for the 20 spots available in BOND for the 2007-2008 academic year. Yet, some BOND students interviewed suggested that a bad stigma still exists among students and teachers who are a part of what they call the "mainstream." On paper, BOND (Branching Out in New Directions) may be an alternative schooling program, but students and teachers have vouched that it far transcends that.
Students like Griffin, Koufos and fellow rising senior Megan Gallagher all talked about how it is like having another home or family in a small corner of Lawrence High School. Whether it is participation in numerous community outreach activities or simply chilling out on the BOND lounge couch, these students have a place to go beyond issues at home or hitting the books.
"I like it because when sometimes i have a bad day at home I just go in there and sit there for ten minutes or so and cool down," said Gallagher. "I feel like I am at home when I am in there."
Yaker, who has taught English in BOND for more than a decade, emphasized the diversity of the program, which brings together students of all backgrounds, races, religions and financial situations. He explained that each student has a different reason for entering the BOND program.
"They are all different," Yaker said. "They want to do well, capable and they are not doing as well as they should. We try to offer an environment in which they enjoy coming to school, they feel safe and secure and we pull the most out of them."
Beyond the cozy confines of Room 215, BOND is heavily engaged in performing community service. Although students are required to partake in at least two community service-related activities throughout the school year, the participation rate tally is usually teeming, said Yaker.
An annual volunteer effort by the BOND students is its toy drive during the December holiday season. Each student must bring in a new toy for donation to local hospitals and community organizations such as the Five Towns Community Center. Yaker explained that the BOND teachers understand the financial struggles some of their own may encounter, so alternative arrangements can be made if the purchase of a toy is not a viable option for a student.
"We understand a lot of our kids may not be able to afford it," said Yaker. "It is not about the money - it is about the time to go out, pick up a toy and bring it to school."
In what he described as the best moment of year, which happens the day before students break for holiday vacation, the students personally deliver the toys to needy or sick children. Throughout the year, BOND performs various programs with Lawrence High School Life Skills, a program for students with special needs.
However, nothing was more rewarding for the BOND students than the Ride For Life. On this particular day, the BOND students walked eight and a half miles from Uniondale down to Freeport, a portion of the ALS organization's trek from Montauk to Manhattan.
Before the walk, Yaker set a goal to raise $900 dollars as an organization through sponsor donations. The group instead exceeded the expectation, raising $2,250. Koufos described the experience as an eye-opener that was rewarding for all those who participated.
"It was really just touching like whe you were there and thinking about how much the appreciated us being there," Koufos said. "It was really nice."
While Griffin, Koufos and Gallagher have another year of BOND to look forward to, Corey Santos is one of the 12 seniors who is now a BOND alumnus thinking about the future. Santos said he was in tears when he had to part with BOND, knowing that his experience won't be the same at the college level. First-year BOND teacher Saraceni has full confidence in all of the BOND students, like Santos, when it's time for them to go beyond high school.
"It's not necessarily for teaching polynomials, it's to help young children become better young men and women and that's definitely what goes on here," Saraceni said. "You help them become decent human beings and teach them life lessons, things they can take outside of school and in their lives."
