"Better Late Than Never!"
Students Get A Second Chance

To a casual observer, December 1st might seem like just another day at South Brooklyn Community High School. Students packed into the bustling cafeteria for their morning assembly and then headed off to class.

But that morning, one regular face was notably absent: Samanta Salvati was nowhere to be found. For her, the day was anything but ordinary—she had officially graduated from high school.

The 19-year-old’s achievement is particularly hard-earned. Samanta had always attended public schools in Brooklyn, but at the beginning of high school got mixed up with the wrong crowd. She started cutting class, and fell far behind.

"I needed someone to really put their foot down about attendance," she says with disarming maturity. "I needed someone to act like they really cared." Together with her mother, she found out about South Brooklyn and enrolled.

In addition to helping students like Samanta get the credits they need to graduate, South Brooklyn partners with Good Shepherds Services to provide the supplementary programs so critical for students who might otherwise drop out. Students have access to individual counseling, topical support groups, and a comprehensive Learning-to-Work program designed to enhance job readiness and career exploration.

"If a student isn't here by 9:15, they get a phone call home," says David Arons, South Brooklyn’s job and internship coordinator. "We have individual meetings with students, and every student has an advocate counselor for their needs."

"This is your last chance to prove yourself," he adds.

At South Brooklyn, Samanta found a caring and committed team of teachers and counselors to address her needs. Samanta's advocate counselor, Liz, helped her feel comfortable in her new environment, and focused on her goal of graduating.

"Liz made sure I understood I could tell her anything," Samanta says. She adds that for the first time, she could have a "real" conversation with teachers at school, who understood what she was going through and what she needed to succeed.

"School became my second home," she says.

John Murphy is the program director at South Brooklyn. Affectionately known as "Murph" by his students, he says that the school's first-name policy for teachers is an important element in connecting with the students. "It's an important tone-setter here," he says. "It helps the students 'change channels' from their experience at a traditional school."

"For the first time, I felt like my teachers really cared about me," Samanta says. "I felt wanted."

David helped Samanta find an internship with a theater company, where students put on their own performances and managed all aspects of the show. Samanta has developed a deep interest in poetry and spoken-word art. In fact, she’ll be returning to the school a few times a week to help teach a class on rap poetry.

“I never thought I’d be teaching here,” she says. "I want people to look at me and say, 'She can do it, and she didn't give up.'"

Pausing for a moment, she adds, "Better late than never!"