Farmingdale High School's PAGE program was created over 20 years ago as a drop-out prevention program that encouraged students to do well in school and graduate. According to Kevin Loud, PAGE coordinator and school social worker, the program continues "to provide a safety net for kids who have the ability, but for a whole host of reasons, have not been successful in school."

Originally designed by former FHS Principal Dr. Steven Kussin and several FHS teachers, PAGE, or Pathways to Achieve Goals in Education, provides students with the opportunity to improve their academic performance. That idea still remains.

"In every classroom," said Joleen Siena, PAGE English teacher, "we have a printout of our motto: 'PAGE offers opportunity, the rest is up to you.'"

Students are referred to PAGE by teachers, pupil-personnel staff, parents and even by the students themselves. When asked what the students enjoyed most about PAGE, Loud answered, "the small class sizes really help the students benefit from the program. Ironically, they also like the rules. The students seem to appreciate the structure they provide."

"We get referrals all year," Loud explained.

Once a referral has been made, Loud first meets with the student to gain a better sense of who the student is and his or her reasons for wanting to join PAGE. The student is then interviewed by the entire PAGE staff and teachers decide if he/she can enter the PAGE program. Although the program is voluntary, once a student is accepted, his or her parents must give written permission. "Obviously parents want what's best for their children," explained Loud.

Just like every other student attending FHS, PAGE students are expected to pass Regents exams and receive high school credits for graduation.

"I would never leave it," said Erica Jacobsohn, a PAGE junior who has participated in the program since the first day of her freshmen year. "It helped me a lot." The PAGE program can accommodate between 60 and 75 students a year.

"I really love PAGE, I really believe in it and what it can do," stated Loud.

While the secret of PAGE's success might be found in the smaller class sizes, academic support, comfortable environment, and rules, chances are it may have something to do with the relationship between the students and the teachers. "Because we are a school within a school," said Loud, "and some students may choose to be with us for several years, we quickly become a family." As a result, PAGE teachers are always creating new and fun ways to bond with the students.

"Like any other family," added Siena, "we have our own traditions." "Sometimes," continued Siena, "the things we do with the students may seem silly, but the rewards are numerous."

"The PAGE Family Holiday Dinner is especially nice, too," said Loud. "The families provide dinner and dessert and the students put on a holiday play. It's a great way for parents, teachers, and students to interact, to get to know one another." Loud added that "they end up laughing and forgetting their lines but in the end, they took a healthy risk, they had some fun, and made a memory along the way. What's the harm in that?"

The PAGE students are no different than students in other classrooms. They are young adults who are involved in school activities and who go on to college and work after graduation. PAGE offers them a family and thus a comfortable environment to grow and achieve their goals. As the motto says, PAGE provided the opportunity, the rest was up to them.