By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
June 1, 2011

Applause and cheers erupted as Don Bosco Charter High School graduates graced the stage May 25.

The deafening noise echoed jubilation and triumph.

“We’re going out with a bang; everybody will remember us,” graduating senior Briana Williams told Northeast News.

For the 53 graduates, this was a beginning and an end. It marked the end of their high school career. And it marked an end to the school itself. Soon, the howl of the DBHS Wolves would fade as school officials locked the doors for the final time.

It wasn’t an easy decision, said Al Dimmit, chairman of Don Bosco’s board of eduction. But, due to lack of funding and years of operating in the red, school officials decided to permanently close the school.

For 11 years, Don Bosco catered to at risk students, preparing them not only for graduation, but for life, said President of Don Bosco Centers Nick Scielzo.

“Over that time period, we graduated 600 people and have made a difference in many more lives than that,” Scielzo said. “We helped them become better prepared to be productive citizens. We look back with pride on that. Yet, it’s sadness at the same time because our charter high school is closing. We have mixed emotions.”

For some of the 2011 graduates, they were defying the phrase, “You’ll never make it.”

“For a lot of them, they feel like they’ve been given up on by a lot of the adults around them – people don’t follow through or expect much,” DBHS Principal Henry Martin said of the students. “We’ve got teen parents, we’ve got homeless kids, we’ve got students who are behind academically.”

Other students didn’t want to attend surrounding high schools or had attendance and disciplinary issues, he said.

“For some of them, it’s (DBHS) meant a lot,” Martin said. “This has been the one place where their world calms down because for some, when they walk out of our doors their world is chaos. We’ve had kids that said they may not eat when they leave school, we’ve had kids that say they don’t see their parents when they leave school, we’ve had kids who literally don’t come to school because they’re raising or taking care of their parents’ children. We’ve got kids who are involved in gang activity outside of school. They’ve been shot at.”

Williams echoed Martin’s sentiment.

“It meant a lot to me,” Williams said of DBHS. “I’m mad that it’s closing down. It hurt my feelings.”

Asked to describe her teachers, she said with a positive tone, “They stay on my back. They don’t get off of it.”

“That was a big plus,” Williams’ mother, Brenda Williams said. “They don’t give up on their kids. She (daughter) wasn’t the only rowdy kid. Don Bosco knows how to handle most of them. The ones that other schools give up on, Don Bosco doesn’t.”

For twin sisters Queen-Esther and Ruth-Genesis Williams, also valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, the school provided quality teachers.

“The teachers are fun,” Queen-Esther said. “They know how to teach well and I enjoyed being in their classes.”

“I think it’s been real good to them,” their mother, Chauntel Williams said of DBHS. “It’s given a little more motivation.”

Being a smaller school, the popular and unpopular crowd didn’t exist, graduating senior La’Keisha Epps said.

“There’s small classes and you learn better. You can really connect with the teachers,” Epps said. “Mr. Martin is a wonderful principal. He knows how to get people in line. Ever since he became principal, we haven’t seen one student out of class. He motivates us.

“He tells us that we’re worth more than what people say we are. He’s a principal when he needs to be, but he’s also somebody you can talk to and a friend.”

Asked how it feels to be the last graduating class, Queen-Esther said, “It’s good, but then I feel sorry for the kids that could have graduated next year (from DBHS). This is the last hope for a bunch of kids. Some of them are 20 years old. They may have a hard time going to another school.”

Don Bosco isn’t forgetting about the underclassmen and is assisting with the transition process.

“We’re working with the underclassmen and helping them choose a school which would be best for them to complete their education,” Scielzo said.

Representatives from area high schools, including charter schools, have already talked to the students, he said.

As for the school building, Don Bosco has formed a re-use committee to evaluate options.

“We’ve had several contacts from several other charter schools who may have an interest in the building. We’re also looking at maybe using the building ourselves by moving some centers into that building.” Scielzo said.

Summing up the charter school, he said, “We’re proud of what we’ve done and happy that we’ve been able to effect change and have a positive impact on many students during the 11 years Don Bosco’s had an alternative charter high school.”

DeSean Davis, graduating senior, was a prime example.

“I was low on credit. This was my last resort. I mean my last resort,” Davis said. “It’s been good while I was here. The teachers keep it real with you and make it a fun environment to be around. They really want you to succeed.”

Without Don Bosco, he probably wouldn’t have graduated, he said.

“I always wanted to graduate,” Davis said. “Everybody says the real world is hard and I want to see what the real world is like. It’s going to give me a chance to get ahead in life.”

Above, A Don Bosco Charter High School graduate waves to friends and family before receiving her diploma during the school’s final graduation May 25. Leslie Collins