Struggling Canarsie H.S. Students Getting Help In After School Classes
By Brittni Kanhai

Canarsie High School has made a vital step in accommodating its students who may consider dropping out, because they are academically behind or possess adult responsibilities, by adopting the altruistic Young Adult Borough Center program (YABC).

A part of the New York City Department of Education, YABC is designed to provide late afternoon and evening classes that give students the essential credits needed to graduate and earn a high school diploma. These classes not only include the regular high school courses needed for a NYC student to graduate, but they also entail workshops and preparation for college, employment and life after high school. In order to qualify for YABC, one must be a high school student - 17 to 21 years old - have a minimum of seventeen high school credits and have been in high school for at least four years.

Student interested in YABC must fill out application forms and be able to provide a copy of his/her transcript and immunization records.

The YABC also provides internships for these striving students through the Learning To Work program (LTW), which provides students with job opportunities so that students have ample experience in the working field.

At Canarsie High School, 10 students have already been recruited into jobs as interns.

There are five high schools that offer the YABC program in Brooklyn, of which Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Canarsie are included. Of the 190 students enrolled in the program at Canarsie, 60 percent are directly from the school, while the others are from other Brooklyn high schools, such as Midwood, South Shore and Tilden, to name a few.

Canarsie's assistant principal Rosalie Marks explained that although there is a mixture of home high schools, the students' interaction with each other can be described as affable.

Marks also pointed out that YABC contains a Community Based Organization (CBO) which offers counseling, tutoring and encourages community involvement. She went on to say that "the teachers and the CBO help to fully engage the students."

For example the students recently went on a trip to Lincoln College in Pennsylvania, which helped the students to develop a taste for college.

Students of the YABC program have acknowledged that it has had a positive effect on their lives. When asked how, one student said, "I've managed to pass all of my classes for my first quarter as a YABC student which is a first for me, so I'd say it was a pretty big step up."

A coed added, "YABC has made my life easier, it has been convenient because I can now work, or attend a trade school during the day."

So far, Canarsie High School's YABC program is considered a great success. It seems to motivate students who are truly grateful for it's accommodations. Consequently, they have developed diligence and, good work ethics to become more well rounded individuals.

Evidently, this is another step for accomplishment at Canarsie High School.