Schools

New Foundation Works to Stop Walkabout Closure

The Walkabout Education Foundation has a $250,000 fundraising goal, with a large portion of it meant to pay for the program to keep it from closing.

Faced with the prospect of the Walkabout alternative high school program being closed after more than three decades of operation, several alumni have banded together through a new foundation to save it.

Members of the Walkabout Education Foundation (WEF) gathered Thursday for a press conference at Mount Kisco's Grand Prix New York to outline what the challenges are and what can be done.

The program operates autonomously within the Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and has been in existence since the late 1970s. Its activities include service learning, applied academics, an internship and an experience in the wilderness, according to WEF member Ben Wild. The program has drawn students from Putnam/Northern

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Westchester BOCES' member districts, along with some from school districts that are located in Southern Westchester BOCES.

Wild, a walkabout alumnus and 1994 Briarcliff High School graduate, said that the problem stems from school districts cutting Walkabout as an option amid a tough economic situation. With fewer students who can attend, a lower enrollment makes it harder for Walkabout to be financially sustainable.

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One challenge that makes the program susceptible, Wild explained, is that there is not enough awareness about it. Walkabout was close to be shuttered earlier this year when Briarcliff's school board considered cutting it, Wild said, which would have happened due to lower enrollment from the decision.

However, supporters of the program were able to persuade the board to change its mind. He noted that there was a lack of understanding from the board about what it is.

“The biggest problem is awareness with this. We see this all the time.”

Even with Briarcliff's reprieve, Walkabout's future is still uncertain. Wild explained that BOCES offered a conditional agreement in which WEF, a group that is only about two months old, would provide private funding for the 2013-14 school year. This short-term arrangement is not meant to be repeated for future school years, Wild explained, but the intent is to use funding to buy time while a new permanent funding formula can be worked out.

The fundraising goal is $250,000 by Sept. 1, with about $125,000 to $150,000 going to keep the program operational. The rest of the funds will be used by WEF to build awareness of Walkabout and to explore other options, such as creating a replacement program if it does not survive and to bring similar initiatives to more students.

Several alumni were on hand at the press conference to discuss what Walkabout means to them. Many described themselves as having difficulties at their high schools, that the program had a profound impact and that skills learned have been used in their professional and personal lives.

Christina Alaimo, a 2005 Briarcliff graduate, said that she felt lost before joining it during her senior year.

“So, like a lot of teenagers I spent my high school lost both personally and academically. It felt like I had no sense of direction or who I was.”

Alaimo credits Walkabout for instilling motivation, a desire to learn and confidence. She has since attained a bachelor's and a master's degree, all in about five and a half years after graduating from high school. Today she runs her own business, which is called Confectionery Therapy and offers a culinary therapeutic experience for Autistic children.

Matt Frohman, a 1990 Horace Greeley High School graduate, described Walkabout as “an incredibly powerful, life-changing experience for me.” He compared describing the program to describing chocolate to somebody who has never tried it, saying that “it's really difficult.” Today, Frohman is a teacher at the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester, which is in Hartsdale.

Brian Carney, a 2004 Mahopac High School graduate, noted that the Mahopac school district is among those who have dropped the program, describing the loss as "heartbreaking."

According to WEF, 11 districts have stopped participating, with includes a mix of Putnam/Northern Westchester and Southern Westchester BOCES members. The districts are: Bedford, Katonah-Lewisboro, Mahopac, Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns, Byram Hills, Yorktown, Somers, North Salem, Croton-Harmon, Brewster and Valhalla.

The foundation's website is at walkabout.org, which includes a donation section.


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