P'burg
school program gets state cash
Grant will fund additional health care
workers and after-school activities.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004 • By LINDA LISANTI
• The Express-Times
PHILLIPSBURG -- The new year will bring changes for the
School Based Youth Services Program at Phillipsburg Middle
School.
Beginning in January, the school's program will offer
expanded services thanks to a $170,000 grant awarded by the
New Jersey Department of Human Services, which oversees the
program.
School officials learned of the grant last week.
Phillipsburg is one of 45 school districts across the
state that has a School Based Youth Services Program. About
1,200 students in the district are enrolled; roughly 450 are
from the middle school, program director William Horn
said.
The program is headquartered at the National Guard
Armory on Heckman Street.
As of now, most of the school-based services are aimed
at the high school, Horn said. There, two full-time
counselors, a full-time nurse health educator and a case
manager offer individual and group counseling, medical and
dental assistance and an after-school recreational
program.
Currently, at the middle school, there's one mental
health counselor who does individual and group counseling,
according to Horn.
He said the grant money will be used to bring on one or
possibly two additional counselors at the middle school and
a nurse health educator who will assist with dental and
medical issues.
The money will also go toward continuing and improving
REACH -- short for Recreation, Education, Aspiration,
Community and Health -- a daily enrichment program held
year-round for Phillipsburg Middle School students.
Phillipsburg Student Assistance Coordinator Bob Pierfy,
who oversees the district's referral system, said the
biggest need at the middle school is after-school and
evening activities.
"It's a need all over because a lot of kids are going
home to empty houses," Pierfy said.
Average after-school attendance at the high school's
School Based Youth Services Program ranges between 15 to 25
students, while at the middle school, it averages up to 70
kids a day.
Pierfy added that it's always positive to expand
services whenever possible, saying "the more options that
are available, the better."
Once the middle school program is expanded, Horn expects
even more students to join.
He said the continuum of care is the key.
"Now, from 6th to 12th grade, school based can be there
if they need help. That was our goal."
Reporter Linda Lisanti can be reached at 610-258-7171 or
by e-mail at llisanti@express-times.com.
© 2004 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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