News

A new School Prevention of Addiction through Rehabilitation and Knowledge (SPARK) peer partnership program integrates Public School (P.S.) M721 students into the Stuyvesant community. P.S. M721, the Manhattan Occupational Training Center, is a special education public high school that provides developmentally disabled students aged 15 to 21 with the opportunity to acquire and practice academic and social skills. It is housed in the same building as Stuyvesant, but is run separately.

SPARK is an extension of the guidance department at Stuyvesant. Through its individual and group counseling services, SPARK strives to empower teenagers to overcome alienation and to develop self-awareness.

SPARK counselor Angel Colon started the peer partnership program in early December after he had talked with P.S. M721 unit coordinator James White.

“I’m surprised it never happened sooner,” Colon said.

About 30 SPARK volunteers meet with 25 P.S. M721 students in the SPARK office or in the cafeteria on Tuesdays during fourth period and on Thursdays between fourth and ninth period.

The volunteers watch videos with the P.S. 721 students and hold discussions on various topics, ranging from family life to current events.

“One thing we talked about was superpowers,” freshman Jane Zelenko said. “We [discussed] flying and things like that, but one of the girls said, ‘I like the way my life is.’”

“[The P.S. M721 students are] smart kids,” Colon said. “There’s this kid named Kelvin. You know Dustin Hoffman’s role in “Rain Man,” the movie? This is Kelvin. If you gave him your zip code, he could tell you the area where you live.”

“They’re some of the nicest people [I] ever met,” junior Chris Moll said. “They really look forward to seeing us.”

“The chance for our guys to sit together with a group of their non-disabled peers [...] in a non-judgmental setting is a truly wonderful thing,” White said. “You all have no idea of the far-reaching, life-changing influence [the volunteers] are having on our students.”

P.S. M721 mathematics teacher Mark Robinson said the peer partnership program improves his students’ behavior and raises their self-esteem.

“Barriers and fears are being broken down,” P.S. M721 occupational therapist Martha Glenn said.

SPARK volunteers enjoy spending time with the P.S. M721 students. “I was expecting really shy kids, but they all started talking and laughing,” junior Tanya Kobseva said. “In the inside, they’re all the same.”

“It’s an awesome idea to reach out and help people shunned by the Stuy community,” freshman Michael Lavina said.