The Family Times July-August 2010 Archive
When I was a kid my mom would describe me as a fun-loving little girl who loved to dress up and make artsy things while spending time at home with my sisters. It’s sad to say my life didn’t stay that way. Like most of us here at the …
EPA Cancels Long Awaited Hearing at the Last Minute
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in March that it will conduct a study of the impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on water quality and public health. The study is in response to last year’s legislation H.B. 2766 (the …
Students at The Family Foundation School often have experienced tragic events that have brought them to the school. For many of them, loss is one of those events. To help process such loss, FFS created a group where students can grieve and …
A Sincere Desire to Live a Sober Life
When I first started to get into recovery, I thought my only real issue was my substance addiction, and that all I needed to do was stop using and I’d be fine. It took a lot of direction from others and my Higher Power to realize that I was …
Worthwhile causes come about infrequently, and ones that I’m willing to fight for come about even less often. It was hard for me to think of many things I’d be willing to fight for. I wish that there were more things I was really passionate about.
In Island, Aldous Huxley said “Snakes have a right to compassion too.” An odd statement perhaps, but it hit home. I interpreted it as everyone, no matter how different, has an equal right to an opinion, no matter how wrong I think they are. After …
I was never able to sing very well or play any instrument when I was a kid, other than the piano, but I always did have a passion for listening, collecting and finding new music that I liked. I always wanted the ability to connect and “feel” the …
For the past 10 years, the Hancock Education Foundation has been a force behind the academic success of students in Hancock from cradle to college. The Foundation is the brain- child of Ron DeLuca, a loving husband, parent, and …
Father Stephen to Return to Long Island
Father Stephen Morris, Dean of Students at FFS, has been called back by his bishop to serve as a parish priest in his hometown Seaford, Long Island starting in September. Father Stephen arrived here 15 years ago. He was assisting at …
Imagine having five different bosses and each of them wants you to do something completely different, answering only to him. That is what Jim Serio and his close friend Peter Kolesar have been dealing with for more than ten years. In …
The term feminism can often be confused with psycho women with hairy armpits on a power trip—however, I shave. And, although many consider me a feminist, my only goal is to help girls like me learn how to stand up for themselves. Before …
If there were a plant that blanketed the ground for miles, shaded the shorelines along the rivers, and reproduced out of control, would you sit back and watch it happen? It spreads rapidly through wide open areas and although it may die …
My sister Emily and I wandered through the airport franticly looking for baggage claim signs that would lead us to the Hertz rent-a-car station where we would meet my aunt and uncle and begin our adventure into Paris. We jumped on the …
When Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement and most solemn holy day on the Jewish calendar) comes around, Rabbi Bob Alper celebrates by saying, “If there’s anything I’ve done or said to you in the last year that hurt you, I want you to know …
Move the Body and The Mind Will Follow
Summer has always been a time when I would sit around, spending my life in a chair playing video games and watching movies. Work never seemed like anything more than a hassle. However, nearing the end of my stay at FFS, I spent the summer …
With the ever growing population, the demand for energy is on the rise. The main problem is what we use and how we get it. Currently fossil fuels— coal, oil, and natural gas— provide more than 85% of all the energy consumed in the U.S. …
The ongoing moratorium on natural gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin by the DRBC, the approval of Stone Energy’s extraction of water from the Lackawaxen River, and the 10 test wells being drilled in Wayne County have stirred up …
Thomas Edison once said(no less), to Henry Ford, “We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. What a source …
Broome County legislators convened a public hearing to discuss the Inflection Energy natural gas lease offer in Binghamton, N.Y. on Monday, July 19. The hearing allowed speakers three minutes to express concerns or support for the bill which would …
Yoni S had an unforgettable experience at The Family School. He arrived at FFS in 2006 and graduated in 2008. Growing up in Los Angelas, California, it was a shock moving to Hancock, New York as a teenager in high school. He went through …
Not only were students welcomed into new classes and the new individual counseling program this semester, they were also greeted by a new English teacher and counselor as The Family Foundation School welcomed staff members …
A walk up FFS Chapel Hill will expose a person to a beautiful scenic view that was once obscured by the girls’ dorms. Between the hot days of July 1 and 19, the maintenance crew, and three student interns hauled the trailers down past the barn …
With a year of hard work finally over, Family School staff and students took a day away from the books to get some extreme thrills at Dorney Park in Allentown Pa. Mann House and Talbot House took the first bus on July 28 leaving the other …
On the weekend of July 31, family leaders Gerald and Annie Janauer, along with Rita Argiros, Sid Parham and Caren Jacques, took the students of Betton House to Oquaga State Park to go camping. Upon arrival Friday night everyone helped set …
The FFS Fourth of July celebration started with the families preparing the house and outdoor area for a barbeque and water balloon fight that would take place later in the day. Meanwhile a blow-up playground and waterslide was set up on the …
Betton House had a lot of fun before graduation. The weekend before the family wished the departing graduates a farewell, Ann and Gerald Janauer took the house to the Circle E Diner in Hancock. In the back room of the diner pizzas and …
The family atmosphere has not felt the same since June graduation. The family is much smaller, with only 21 students left, so the kids in Lake House have been given an opportunity to “step up” as Roxi Losicco boldly states it. The majority of …
It is normal that after graduation the dynamic of every family changes and Mann House is no exception. Seven senior members left due to graduation; they left many holes to fill and people have been doing their part to step up. Alex R and Drew L …
With the exception of minor schedule changes everyone in Wilson House seems to be excited about starting a new year. Students are working hard to start their school year on the right foot. Brianna N is determined to pass all of her classes this …
It was a sad day when Talbot house had to say goodbye to their June graduates. To honor the event, the family took a trip to the park in Walton where they ate, laughed, and played together for the last time. Unsurprisingly, Liam M and Nick …
With two outs and runners on first and second FFS student Luke V had one shot to make things right for the students: He hammered the first pitch he saw from FFS staff member Willy Williamson was into deep center field, giving the students …
Alumni Dave K., Jens J. and Alex G.
FFS was happily surprised to see its recent June alumni Dave K, Jens R and Alex G. The trio has been doing very well since their departure from the Family School. After his 22- month stay, Dave immediately took action. He attended 90 meetings in …
A day of mirth, mountain biking, and fun in the sun. On July 1, 2010, FFS students took a trip to Chenango State Park. The students woke up early on the day of the trip, bleary-eyed but exuberant. They ate a hasty breakfast and boarded the …
With the sun shining and temperatures rising, eighteen girls ran onto the field eager to make the 2010 girls soccer team. Thursday July 29 was the first of four tryouts. After getting warmed up, head coach Scott MacDonald worked with the girls on …
