Graduation Day Provides Hope, Joy for Young Offenders

The Aug. 8 ceremony had all the trappings of a regular high school graduation event, with balloons, proud family members in attendance and even prouder teachers standing in the wings.

But for the four students who successfully graduated from the SWBOCES Sprain Brook Academy located at the Westchester County Jail and for others completing the Westchester County Department of Correction’s Young Offender Program, the moment was indeed bitter sweet.

Still behind bars, the students were lauded for their tenacity to succeed despite the stress of learning in a confined environment and the circumstances that had led to their incarceration.

Attending the two-hour event, the first of its kind at the prison to recognize the two successful programs, were BOCES Board trustees Lynn Frazer-McBride and Georgia Reidel as well as BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Harold Coles, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services James Gratto and Sprain Brook Academy Principal Dr. Stephen Bicchieri.

A number of officials from the Department of Corrections also attended. They included Corrections Commissioner Kevin Cheverko, Deputy Commissioner Leandro Diaz, Nory Padilla, director of programs and staff development, DeLauné Michel, director of Spoken Interludes, a writing enrichment program, Assistant Warden Randy Watkins and others.

Referring to the prison’s Young Offender Program, which is a 60-day military-style boot camp for boys ages 16 to 21, Ms. Padilla lauded the group for their hard work and dedication.

“There was a lot of opportunity for structure, guidance and consistency in this boot camp,” she said, looking toward the eight young men sporting cropped hairstyles and dressed neatly in uniform.

“I am very proud of what each and every one of you has accomplished.”

The 16-hour-a-day regimen of physical exercise, classes and individual counseling is intended to give incarcerated youth a real chance to turn their lives around through discipline and determination.

Over to the right, four students dressed in traditional caps and gowns were waiting patiently to receive their high school diplomas. They included Tamira Glover and Bernizon Moronta, who both received Regents diplomas, Tyriek Kerr, who earned a high school diploma, and Bernard Neely, a high school equivalency diploma.

Incarcerated youth who attend the BOCES program receive English language literacy for non-readers, instruction in various high school academic subjects, preparation for the high school equivalency examination, and life skills and career development, all intended to help them transform their lives and transition to the outside world.

Keynote speaker Felipe Lopez, a retired professional basketball player from the Dominican Republican, urged the young men and women to work hard, hold on to their dreams and then make those dreams a reality.

“Education is the reason I am standing in front of you today,” said Mr. Lopez, who frequently counsels disadvantaged youth in the South Bronx.

Mr. Lopez, who was drafted to the NBA in 1998, talked about his love of basketball and his yearning to be a leader and to make a difference in his community.

“I came here without friends and without speaking one word of English, and I struggled with it,” he recalled. “There were times when I wanted to quit, but accomplishing anything of importance takes sacrifice.”

“I believed in myself and I refused to let other people’s perceptions affect my self-worth,” added Mr. Lopez.

Each of the students graduating from the BOCES program expressed gratitude for the chance to succeed.

“This is the beginning of my road to success,” said Tamira. “My BOCES family pushed me and discovered educational talents I never realized I had.”

Toward the end of the event, several other awards were handed out, including a formal recognition of boot camp graduate Alex Ortiz, who acted as a mentor to other students in the Young Offenders Program, the “Courage to Persevere Award” which was handed out to Bernard Neely and several principal’s awards and awards for academic excellence.