Pedro Pena believes the daily life of his 10-year-old son Michael should be more than dashing home after school and getting his homework done. He has noticed that the Safe Haven After School Athletics Program at the Washington School in Union City has had a positive impact on his son’s schoolwork and overall development. “I believe that programs like this encourage young students, and it’s great for them,” said Pena, who is a former resident of West New York but has lived in Union City with his family for 12 years. “I feel that interaction is important for the individual student so they can meet other children from other classes and grow from the experience. I like the fact that my son’s involvement in sports has made a positive influence on his behavior and what he likes to do. I hope that in the future more schools will do this.” According to Principal Barbara Johnson, the Safe Haven program is just beginning. Started in the fall of 1999, the school implemented it into its after-school curriculum after noting the success of a summer recreation program run by former Olympic runner and city resident Otis Davis. Davis is involved in this new program, too. Johnson believed that the program would motivate the children to excel in their academic careers and gain a sense of excitement and enthusiasm. “I am very pleased with the progress of the program,” she said. “At our school, we always say that academics come first, so for them to participate in the program they know they must have good conduct and do well in their classes. We feel that what Mr. Davis has brought here is a good example of how sports can also be a learning tool in a child’s education. It helps to develop discipline, and it teaches them that you can’t develop without it. Our idea that if we are to be a model for other schools, it’s about sharing our experience and showing others that programs like this do make a difference.” Giving back to the communityback to the communityto the communitythe community As part of his continued efforts to reach out to inner-city kids, Davis also set up a pilot program in Edison School hoping that more schools would get involved. Davis alternates the program during a five-day period and teaches close to 80 kids, aged 8 to 12 years old. They learn basketball, football, wiffleball, and track and field. Davis became famous nearly four decades ago when he won two national championships in the 400-meter relay in the 1960 Olympics. Currently, he draws inspiration from helping local kids reach their potential. “There is so much that we can offer these children; it just a matter of giving them the opportunity,” Davis said last week. “I see the struggles that they face and I feel that if I can motivate them to do well in school and also build on their athletic skills, then that’s a plus. Even though I am their coach, I really consider myself a teacher. I want to develop leadership in all my students and have them learn the fundamentals that will help them be better. My motto is that you can’t play your way through life, so what they learn from the program will hopefully be a positive step forward in their lives.” Assistant Principal Frank DeRiso agrees that the program initiates changes in the students and fortifies their academic success. “It’s encouraging to see how motivated our students are here at the school,” DeRiso said. “Right now our main focus is on the GEP tests and giving them after-school programs to help them with their homework and even working in the computer lab to do assignments. But just having the athletic skills program also available to them has really changed the students’ attitude about school. They seem more enthusiastic and willing to communicate and it’s a good feeling to know that if we can connect with them on different levels, it makes what we are trying to achieve here that much better B both in and out of the classroom.” Kids are people tooare people toopeople tootoo Davis believes that his role is to inspire youngsters to do more with their lives and help them along the way. His motivation has helped the program to flourish throughout the school year, and he hopes it will have a long-range impact. “The important thing we want to remember is that we are here for the kids,” he said. “I want to be able to give these kids the attention and support they need. The most we can do is condition them to be better by using the natural talents God gave them. They are all special in their own way and if we can just give them that chance, you’d be surprised on what they can do.” Davis’s young participants in the program are enthusiastic about the inspiration their coach provides and agree that the program has made a positive difference in their lives. “I really like being here because I feel it’s helped me do better in school,” said 10-year-old Michael Pena. “It’s not just about doing homework, but about learning to exercise and play sports with my friends. It’s helped me to concentrate more so I do get my homework done a lot faster now, but I get to do other things too and I think that’s pretty good.” Luis Carmenate, 11, agreed that his participation in the program has definitely improved his grades. “This program is beautiful, man,” he said. “You get to exercise and do all kind of cool sports like flag football. It’s helped me so much that I made second honors this term. It’s good to be here.” Even though sports programs tend to attract boys, the girls of the school are also joyful participants. Jamila Garcia, 9, says that the program is a great experience for all students. “It’s good to be a part of the program because you learn a lot,” she said. “The girls want to play sports as much as the boys, so we work hard to do our best. Mr. Davis really is good to us and he pushes us to be better. I feel good about that.”
Students, teachers say athletic skills program helps academics
