By Anthony Rifilato
He barely did his school work, his grades were in the doldrums and he was hanging out with friends way too much, cutting three to four classes a day. As a result, Fink was left back a grade, and he wasn't sure whether he would even finish high school. At one point he considered dropping out, he said.
"My first two years weren't very good," Fink said.
One day he was called to the dean's office for what he thought would be a scolding about his "chronic cutting." But to his surprise, he said, he was given an option. He could continue being a poor student and never get ahead, he said, or he could try participating in the school's mentoring program, in which students partner with teachers, business people or community volunteers, caring adults who offer encouragement and act as role models.
Fink said that he was skeptical at first, to say the least. "At first I really didn't know what it was," he said. "They told me it wasn't a formal teacher, but someone that I could talk to and feel comfortable with."
Fink soon met Greg Kelly, a business teacher who had decided to be a mentor two years earlier, and the two hit it off. That was a year and a half ago, and since then, Fink said, he has made tremendous strides.
"I met Mr. Kelly, and he took me on as one of his mentees," Fink said. "It was pretty hard in the beginning. He made sure that I was always going to class. One day he gave me a serious talk and told me to cut the crap and not to mess up. Now all my grades are where they should be."
Fink is just one of the many students at the high school and middle school who are taking part in the district's award-winning mentoring program, now in its seventh year. In September, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy presented the district with a proclamation for the program, which was entered into the Congressional Record.
Last June, a mentoring pair for four years - student Chris John Garcia and State Farm employee Charmaine Robin - received the Mentor's Spotlight Award, a nationwide award that honors outstanding mentoring pairs that exemplify the powerful impact the relationships have on the lives of young people. Garcia and Robin were among six recipients selected from nearly 200 nominations across the country. The award led to a $5,000 scholarship for Garcia, a $500 award for Robin and a $2,000 donation to the Baldwin mentoring program.
For Pat Banhazl, a Baldwin High business teacher and the program's coordinator, the accolades illustrated how far the program has come. "When we received the award from Washington, I think we've come to the top," Banhazl said. "Mentoring has made a difference in the lives of so many students in the district."
The school district has been involved with the State Farm Mentoring Program for the past seven years, a partnership that is still strong, Banhazl said. Since 1999, the program has grown from five students to more than 60. Until two years ago only State Farm employees served as mentors, but then the program expanded to include Baldwin teachers at the middle and high schools as well.
"We are very fortunate to have so many caring mentors from State Farm, as well as our own faculty members from Baldwin, who volunteer their own time, provide encouragement and serve as adult role models," Banhazl said.
Mentors are given extensive training before they begin partnering with students, Banhazl explained, adding that the initiative has generated a lot of interest.
"Realistically, the program is run through my department, so when I heard about it, I said, 'Yeah, I'd love to help a kid,'" said Kelly. "When I first met Sean, he was a cutter, always in the hallways, getting into trouble. But he had the right attitude from the beginning. It made me feel good that he looked up to me."
Fink's initial experience had been less than stellar. He and his first mentor did not hit it off. "It was weird at first, because I had a teacher I really didn't know and I didn't get along with him," Fink said. "I met Mr. Kelly and he agreed to take me on as a mentee."
Fink said that one of the reasons he and Kelly jelled was that his mentor was sort of like him when he was a teenager. "He told me about his past, and in a way, we relate to the things we've done," Fink said. "If he could change his life around, I could do the same. He really inspired me."
Fink and Kelly were among three Baldwin mentoring pairs who won VIP tickets to New York Jets games in November. Fink and the other students were awarded the tickets for an essay they wrote about the impact their mentors have had in their lives, part of a contest sponsored by the Jets Wives Association. The mentors and students met the players, attended a pre-game party and received gear and autographs from the players, among other highlights. "They were treated like royalty," Banhazl said.
For Fink and others, the program has made a tremendous difference in their lives. Fink said he attends class regularly now, and is considering trade school after he graduates, maybe in construction or electrical work, though he is still unsure of a career. Still, he's come a long way, he said, and he hopes that others take advantage of the program's life-changing benefits. He even asked Kelly to mentor his younger brother, Will.
"I feel like if I didn't know Mr. Kelly, I don't know if I'd still be in school," Fink said. "If other people are interested in it, they should definitely do it and join. It would probably change a lot of people's lives around."
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