From News 12 Long Island, by Antoinette Biordi
Freeport, NY – Inside the De La Salle School in Freeport there’s a mantra they recite every day, in hopes it will shape the boys into what the school calls a “De La Salle gentleman.”
Only 72 students attend the small, all boys Catholic middle school, and children can only be accepted if their family is at or below the poverty line. About 98 percent of them are minorities from urban neighborhoods.
Students Christian Cantor and John Velasquez, both 12 years old, say they see the violence and gang influence in their community, but say their connection to the school keeps them on the right path.
Joan MacNaughton, of the De La Salle School, says, “They’re learning social graces, they’re learning things that they never had exposure to. We are able to help these boys achieve so much in their lives and go on to wonderful schools.”