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HLWYAN13

At one time in her life, Pecolia Bostic, 68, wanted to move out of Wyandanch. 
 She was married with seven children, working out of town and exhausted by the commute. The idea was quickly vetoed by her children. 
 “They told me, ‘You always say we have lots of mommies and daddies here in Wyandanch,’” Bostic recalled. “‘Why would we leave?’ What could I say to that?” 
 She and her family stayed in Wyandanch. 
 Pecolia Bostic said she never had to worry about her children because there was always someone in the neighborhood looking out for them. 
 Wyandanch proved to be small-town living at its best. 
 In fact, it seems that Wyandanch did remain remarkably quaint until well into the 20th century, said Mary Cascone, historian and archivist at the Town of Babylon Office of Historic Services, who is working on a book about the hamlet’s history. 
 Wyandanch’s <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> Railroad station was built in 1842 -- one of the first on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> -- but the hamlet didn’t experience a large population growth for almost a century, though there were farms and some factories including C&amp;D Cement, the largest African-American-owned business in <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County. 
 In 1922, the population of Wyandanch was 75 and the number of new houses built the year before was four, according to a booklet published by the <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a>. It goes on to describe Wyandanch as having “dense woods, towering trees” and fresh mineral water known as the Colonial <a href="/topics/Springs%2C_NY">Springs</a> -- “well known for their medicinal properties.” 
 The area of land above the springs, where for years water was bottled and also used to make bricks, was owned by Wyandanch’s most famous resident, Captain Jacob Conklin, a “supposed pirate” who sailed with Captain Kidd, Cascone said. 
 The property was eventually owned by Col. James F. Casey, the brother-in-law of <a href="/topics/Ulysses_S._Grant">Ulysses S. Grant</a>, who is thought to have stayed at the home often. 
 “The entire <a href="/topics/Ulysses_S._Grant">Grant</a> family would come and stay,” she said. “They actually had big plans to build a hotel, but it never came to fruition.” 
 Cascone said since the beginning, Wyandanch has struggled to define itself and its borders. The Town of Babylon was established in 1872, and the area of Wyandanch was considered part of Half Hollow Hills, she said. Wyandanch has been known as North Breslau, West <a href="/topics/Deer_Park%2C_NY">Deer Park</a> and Wyandance. Just about 50 years ago, the Colonial <a href="/topics/Springs%2C_NY">Springs</a> section of the community became <a href="/topics/Wheatley_Heights%2C_NY">Wheatley Heights</a>. 
 Cascone said after <a href="/topics/World_War_I">World War I</a>, Wyandanch became a summer destination because people from New York City were drawn to the mineral springs and Geiger Lake. But when it comes to post-<a href="/topics/World_War_II">World War II</a> history, she hopes the stories will be told by the residents that lived them. 
 “As more people come here, the stories get more complicated,” she said about her research, both historical and anecdotal. “We’re looking to our residents to give us their perspective.” 
 Bostic said that in her 53 years in Wyandanch, she’s seen it all. She’s seen the “homes come and the trees leave,” she’s seen the roads paved and the local economy rise and fall. 
 “Over the last 10 years, there has been quite a bit of change,” she said. “But it’s an improvement.” 
 One thing that will stay the same, she said, is her presence. She said when the old neighborhood kids come back to visit, her house is still the first stop. 
 “They ask me how the neighborhood has changed and I tell them it’s very different,” she said. “But I hope that when they come back in 10 years, I’ll tell them there’s been positive change.” 
 Photo: The Wyandanch General Store in 1941.

Wyandanch History

Wyandanch once known for dense woods, mineral springs

Wyandanch General Store

Throughout this week's Town Focus series in Wyandanch, we are profiling people we meet, from community leaders to residents we bump into around town. 
 Sharon Carter-McCutcheon Age: 47 Occupation: Real estate agent 
 How long have you lived in Wyandanch? Most of my life. I’ve moved away for maybe a year once. 
 Why stay? Home ownership. I came back here and I had gotten on the Section 8 program, and at that time you were allowed to live in your family’s home on Section 8. I worked hard, and when my grandmother was ready to retire, I was in a place to buy her home. We were very lucky. We purchased it in 2000. That was our way of getting a piece of the pie. Now, I have three children that have all grown up here. All gone through the school system. 
 What was it like growing up? It was our neighborhood, it was just the best. We had the best block, everyone used to come to us and we all looked out for each other. And that was the disco era. You had to see what would go on at the park. You saw some of the best dancers. I mean, it was what we were seeing on TV right in our backyard. There would be people on roller skates, hustling, dancing, it was amazing. 
 What changed the image of the community? I think it was in the '80s, because that’s when crack hit. And it hit our community hard. It was so cheap and so available. It hurt a lot of people, a lot of families. For the first time in a long time, you had children running around without mothers. People were ignorant to the real cost of the drug. 
 What do you think this community needs to focus on as it moves forward? Home ownership. We have such a transient population now, and that causes problems. Half the people that are reported for crimes, we don’t know them. I see four guys on TV who just robbed the post office, and I don’t know them. Wyandanch is 4 by 4 miles. We know everyone, but those people are not from Wyandanch. They are transplants. And it upsets me that my husband takes the time to do our lawn, and then we look across the street and already their screens are laying in the yard, their garbage cans are not even garbage cans. And what are we going to do? Knock on their door and tell them how to take care of their house? 
 What do you love about Wyandanch now? First of all, there are so many people that are still here. This is a community with lots of families and relationships forged from childhood. 
 How would you define the character of Wyandanch? I would say, a town in flux but still moving ahead. I think we’ve taken steps in the right direction to be better than we’ve been. We have many scars, but I think that what we’ll become will outshine that.

Wyandanch people: Sharon Carter-McCutcheon

Sharon Carter-McCutcheon

Throughout this week's Town Focus series in Wyandanch, we are profiling people we meet, from community leaders to residents we bump into around town. 
 Shelly Williams Age: 43 Occupation: senior clerk typist at Wyandanch Memorial High School 
 Williams’ family moved to Wyandanch when she was 6 years old, and except for a few years living in Central Islip while she attended college, she’s been here ever since. 
 Why did you decide to stay in Wyandanch as an adult? My siblings have all moved away, but my child is here in school and my mother is here. This is what I know. I’ve never had a desire to leave, just to see it improved. 
 What was Wyandanch like when you were growing up? We had the kind of neighborhood where it took a village to raise a child – before that phrase was fashionable. If I was doing something wrong, I was checked by my neighbors. We had a community within a community on our block. Even at 11, 12 years old we would go to the park by ourselves. There was always someone there looking out for you. Overall, it was just a good childhood. My mom will say, ‘You don’t know how hard it was,’ and we didn’t. They didn’t let us know how hard it was. We didn’t know we were poor. We didn’t know the best of everything, but we certainly didn’t know the worst. 
 When did things start to change? 1986. That was the year I graduated high school, and up until that year, things were the same. We would hang out, we would go to the village and congregate. I remember when I came back after being at school, I was like, ‘What happened to this place?’ 
 As the community heads into this revitalization plan, what do you think it’s important to focus on? This community had stuff once upon a time. We had a supermarket, two supermarkets, actually. We had a butcher, Bonnie’s Bakery, Church’s Chicken. We had our own stuff. But it got to the point that people started stealing, things started to change, and it was no longer profitable to keep a business here. But it’s not the people that have lived here. It’s a new population. The people that have been here a long time can’t wait for the revitalization because it’s going to shake a lot of stuff off the tree. I think we also have to concentrate on disbanding some of this criminal activity. We need more after-school programs, after-school activities, PAL programs. We have a community center, and there are no programs there. 
 You had a great childhood, but what is it about Wyandanch that you love now? It’s hard to put it into words. People tease me all the time, ‘Oh, you’re just a Wyandanch-head. You’re never leaving.’ I don’t want to leave. I could probably live in a neighboring community, but I wouldn’t be as comfortable. I have friends here, good friends, people I’ve known since I was 6 years old. For me, when it comes down to it, if I’m leaving Wyandanch, I’m leaving the state. 
 Do you see that kind of loyalty to the community now? It’s a little bit different from our generation. The kids that come up through the reins today, they don’t have the same sense of pride from when Wyandanch was what it was. Even our sports teams, we used to be a community that was all about sports. Wherever we went, we made noise. It’s not like that anymore.

Wyandanch people: Shelly Williams

Shelly Williams

Delores Jenkins has been walking around with a thoroughly creased piece of paper in her purse for weeks. At the slightest hint of interest, she’ll whip it out to show someone or make a photocopy for them to keep. 
 The paper is a letter from the Town of Babylon, congratulating the lifelong Wyandanch woman on being chosen as an honoree at next week’s 24th annual Black History Month celebration. 
 “This is the best honor I could ever wish for,” said Jenkins, principal of LaFrancis Hardiman Elementary School. “I feel so special and proud.” 
 The theme of this year’s celebration is Black Women in American Culture and History and the town has chosen seven women to be awarded for their contributions to the community in areas like education, community service, unity, economics and education, said Madeline Quintine-Bayton, commissioner of human services for Babylon Town. 
 Also being honored are Margie Billups, of Amityville, for economics; Beverly Brewster, of Amityville, for community service; Sondra Cochran, of Wyandanch, for community service; Miriam D. Couch, of Sayville, for unity; and Klyde Hunter-Epps and Oneida S. Lee, both of Amityville, will receive special recognition. 
 “These are some pretty dynamite people who have done some huge things in their lives,” Quintine-Bayton said, “and we are able to celebrate them.” 
 The ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 25 at the Town Hall Annex in North Babylon. 
 Quintine-Bayton said the women being honored were chosen for their leadership and dedication to the community. 
 Jenkins, 62, has been principal at LaFrancis Hardiman, the district’s school for pre-kindergarten through second grade, since the building opened in 1998. Last year, she oversaw both of the district’s elementary schools at the same time when the district temporarily merged administrations because of budget cuts. 
 “I knew that she could do that,” said District Superintendent Pless Dickerson. “She has a vast knowledge of education, she generates a lot of enthusiasm among the students and excitement among the staff.” 
 Dickerson said Jenkins has been a force behind building up the importance of the school library and exposing her students to the world around them with a focus on culture and field trips. 
 He said Jenkins has a standing relationship with Five Towns College and the Hardiman students take a field trip there every year. 
 “At that age she’s trying to introduce them the idea of college,” he said. “She wants to get them exposed. Kids can be very insular at this age and never leave their own communities. She doesn’t want that.” 
 Jenkins said she has never considered retiring because she believes she has a responsibility to the community to help educate its youngest members. 
 “But also, I would miss the hugs,” she said. “The kids come up to me, their noses running, and they want a hug. There’s no greater feeling than that.” 
 Photo: Delores Jenkins, 62, principal of LaFrancis Hardiman Elementary School, will be honored for her contribution to education at the Town of Babylon's 24th annual Black History Month celebration. (Feb. 15, 2012)

Wyandanch women to be honored

Wyandanch women to be honored at Black History event

HLWYAN17

Today I wrap up a week in Wyandanch, a community that draws a strong reaction from people both inside and out of it. 
 Based on the people I talked to this week, someone is just as likely to associate Wyandanch with a crime statistic as they are with family values and small-town living. 
 Today, look for more interviews that will explain a resident’s perspective, including two women who grew up on the same block and have stayed in Wyandanch to raise their children. 
 I started the week at the high school and found myself back in the schools a few times after that. When talking to Wyandanch residents, the community’s youth was a common theme. They want to see their students succeed. 
 Delores Jenkins, principal at LaFrancis Hardiman Elementary School, has spent her career working toward that goal. She’ll be honored for her commitment to education at a Town of Babylon Black History Month celebration next week, along with another force in the Wyandanch community, Sondra Cochran, executive director of the Wyandanch Community Development Corporation. Look for a story later today on these women’s accomplishments and why they are being honored. 
 I also looked into the history of the Wyandanch community, which, despite having one of the earliest train stations built on Long Island, was slow to rise. Much of the documentation the Town of Babylon has collected on early Wyandanch shows it was mostly woods and farmland. Even up to the 1950s, there was little development. I’ll post a full story on the history of Wyandanch today. 
 Thanks for your <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">emails</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/eringeismar">tweets</a> and comments. Feel free to send more and bring me back out to Wyandanch.

Town Focus: Wyandanch, Day 5

Wyandanch

Yashika Stewart has few complaints. 
 The 31-year-old still lives in Wyandanch, the town where she grew up and a place that she loves. She has a job as a monitor in the Half Hollow Hills School District, and the love and support of her family, including her mother and 12-year-old son. 
 But as her hometown is on the cusp of a major revitalization effort, Stewart thought it would be a good time to look into a personal revitalization as well. 
 “I like the idea of being my own boss one day,” she said. “And I’m trying to leave something behind for my son, a business that can stay in the family.” 
 So when Stewart saw that the Farmingdale Small Business Development Center was offering a free course called “Excellence in Entrepreneurship” right in the community where she lives, she jumped at the opportunity. 
 “It was a ‘Why not?’ moment,” she said. “What did I have to lose?” 
 Instead, she gained a lot. For the past six weeks, Stewart attended the three-hour sessions at the Wyandanch Senior Nutrition Center every Wednesday night. She said she’s developed the tools she needs to develop a viable business plan to eventually follow her longtime passion for event planning. 
 Stewart was joined by about 30 others on Wednesday who completed the course, which has also been given in other low- to moderate-income communities, said Pat Edwards, vice president responsible for community development for Citi, which funds the program. 
 Edwards said Citi and the Farmingdale Small Business Development Center saw Wyandanch as a location that would benefit from the program because of the opportunities for business owners that will come with Wyandanch Rising, the community’s multi-phase redevelopment plan. 
 “When the revitalization effort is fully launched, we want the community to be as best prepared to respond to some of the invitations to apply and establish their businesses there,” Edwards said. 
 Vanessa Pugh, director of downtown revitalization and community development for the Town of Babylon, said the town has been buzzing about the Wyandanch Rising plan, which will include 50,000 square feet of new retail space in the first phase, for more than 10 years. 
 Now, as the estimated first-phase completion date is just eight months away, it was time to focus on more than just buildings, she said. 
 “We’re focused on a complete and holistic approach to revitalization,” she said on Wednesday night, as she congratulated the program participants. “We are making sure we do everything we can to address the needs of existing and future small business owners.” 
 Erica Chase-Gregory, a business advisor at the Farmingdale Small Business Development Center, said the course offers existing and future business owners a step-by-step plan to launch or improve their businesses, from creating a business plan to a digital marketing strategy. 
 “There are so many people who go into business or have a business idea but without the resources or the planning, there’s much more of a chance that business will fail,” she said. “The Wyandanch community has historically been in need of such resources to create a foundation of strength, and the reaction to this program has been wonderful.” 
 Stewart said she has never seen her hometown the way other people have seen it. 
 “It’s not all about negative things,” she said. “I come from a good family, I care about this community.” 
 She said the program has given her the confidence to see a new future for herself, and the prospect of Wyandanch Rising has reinforced her faith in her community. 
 “Everyone wants to talk about how horrible it is,” she said. “But if you want to see change, there comes a time when you have to seize the moment.”

LIers learn about running own businesses

Wyandanch residents learn about running businesses

Wyandanch Business

Don Sanford Age: 55 Lives in Amityville 
 We met Sanford, who grew up in Wyandanch, at the Excellence in Entrepreneurship forum Wednesday at the Wyandanch Senior Nutrition Center. He was taking the course to learn more about growing a business he started, selling natural skin products from Africa. 
 How long did you live in Wyandanch? Between Wyandanch and Amityville, my whole life, 50 years. 
 Why did you decide to stay in the area? I was in North Carolina for two years, but I came back here. It’s home. I know everybody here, and when you’re starting a business, it’s better for you to know your customers and for them to know you. 
 Growing up here, what did you appreciate about living in Wyandanch? The knowledge of the people, being known and respected in the community. I’ve always been good to this community, and it’s been good to me. 
 How has it changed? It’s always been the same to me; it’s just Wyandanch. 
 But it is going though a big redevelopment and revitalization. As that happens, what do you think this community needs to focus on? More education for the young, for the teenagers. I have young nephews that don’t have jobs or the education to get the jobs. I’ve been to the Babylon Resource Center and I’ve seen classes for young fathers, but there was nothing just for the youth that doesn’t have kids and just needs more education. 
 How would you define the character of Wyandanch? Togetherness. They’re ready to grow.

Wyandanch people: Don Sanford

Don Sanford

Day 4, the part of the week when things start to take shape. 
 All week, I’ve been meeting with various people in the community to pick their brains about their lives in Wyandanch, the organizations they represent and the direction they see their community heading. 
 Last night, I attended a packed Excellence in Entrepreneurship meeting at the Wyandanch Senior Nutrition Center, where current and aspiring business owners absorbed all the knowledge the free course had to offer. What was interesting was that the theme of the night was about bettering a personal business, but the undercurrent was really about bettering the community. 
 Look for that story later today. 
 I’ve received a few emails over the last couple of days from residents who love Wyandanch and just wanted to contribute their thoughts. I’m going to try to catch up with a few of those people in person today and tomorrow. 
 If you have something to share, keep those <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">emails</a> coming. You can also reach me or track what I’m doing throughout the day by following me on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/eringeismar">Twitter</a>.

Town Focus: Wyandanch, Day 4

Sadie Badon Age: 79 Chairwoman of the Wyandanch Community Development Corp.; member of the New Shiloh Baptist Church 
 How long have you lived in Wyandanch? Since 1975. 
 What brought you here? High rent in the city. I came to New York when I was 21 and enlisted in the military for two years from New York. I ended up coming out to Wyandanch because the taxes at that time were cheaper and we were looking for some place we could afford. But I continued to work in New York City until I retired in 1992. 
 What was Wyandanch like when you moved here? Pretty dull. I didn’t see all that much of it for a long time because I worked in the city. I got up when it was dark and I came home when it was dark. So I didn’t really spend that much time here until I retired in 1992. 
 From what you can tell, how has it changed? It has changed for the good and it has changed for the worse. A lot of houses have closed down in foreclosures and a lot of houses are rentals. The biggest problem we have is getting renters to keep the properties clean. But I think the community is growing and it’s moving in a good direction. 
 I’d call it overcrowded. At the railroad station, if you get there after 9 you can’t get a parking spot, and only 10 percent of those people even live in this community. There are supposed to be 10,000 people that live here, but if you went door to door, I bet you’d find more than 20,000 people actually live here. The squirrels don’t even have a place to sleep. 
 Why did you decide to stay here all this time? Well, I really don’t want to just pick up and go. I think things will get better and I’d like to stay and help. I don’t know if I’ll see it in my lifetime, but it will happen. 
 What’s something you’d like to see happen? Businesses need to move in and help out with their share of the taxes, and that will get things moving along. 
 How would you define the character of the community? Right now, I don’t think I would. I have to wait and see how it turns out. But I think it will do great. I can see a future for it.

Wyandanch people: Sadie Badon

Sadie Badon

Charlie Reed Age: 65 Vice chairman, Wyandanch Community Development Corp.; former member of the Wyandanch School District Board of Education; raised three children in the community. 
 When did you move to Wyandanch? In 1964, when I was just out of high school. I was 17. 
 What brought you here? I was looking for bright lights and a bigger city. 
 Where did you come from, and how did you find Wyandanch? I’m from Alabama, a little town called Andalusia. I had brothers and a sister that lived in Huntington and Wyandanch, so it was an easy sell. 
 What was life like here then? I came here, and I loved it here. At the time, it reminded me of where I came from. I liked the surroundings here, I liked outdoor activities, and I liked to hunt. So this brought me the amenities I loved in Alabama, and any weekend I wanted I could go into the city for a change. 
 How have you seen the community change? I have seen the community revolve 180 degrees almost. When I came here, you had more Italians and Polish people here; now the population is 90 percent black, and recently there is also an influx of Hispanics. I think this community has always had a lot of potential, because it is a small town. 
 A lot of things you initially loved about the community have changed. What do you like about it now? The same sort of things. It’s just that we are stereotyped so much that a lot of people don’t have a sense of worth in the community, but we have a lot of good things that come out of here. Our students are graduating and becoming doctors, and they are doing well. And this community is still a good place to invest. Also, it’s a transportation hub, with the train station and one of the bus stops. 
 What are some of your hopes for the community? Wyandanch Rising. I hope it continues to flourish. We need more businesses investing in the neighborhood to help offset the property taxes. For a poor district, our taxes are way beyond our means, and that’s why some people are losing their homes. I would love to see a 180-turnaround in the school system. But there’s another system at work and that’s the parents. The parents need to keep track of their child’s education or they are not going to succeed. Another thing that bothers me is the flight of the kids. As soon as they get old enough, they leave. We don’t have anything to offer them in terms of jobs. We need to get people here that want to stay here. A transient population comes with transient problems.

Wyandanch people: Charlie Reed

Heath A. Broughton, 44 Founder, chief operating officer of Man in the Mirror Youth Consulting Service 
 What are some of your ties to the community? I am a community activist and leader here. 
 What made you want to work in the community of Wyandanch? This is my community and if I don’t take care of it who will? I want to take care of the community that took care of me. I could have been a high risk youth but they embraced me and trained me to give back. I have to pay it forward. It’s a divine purpose for me to be here and working with the youth. 
 As the community evolves, what’s the most important thing for the people involved to focus on? The original blueprint of our community has been strayed away from. We need to get back to a sense of hope and pride. We have to come together to work together. There is a lack of purpose, self knowledge and self identity. 
 What are the biggest challenges the community faces? People want the same goal, but they don’t want to share the responsibility. The elders, the pillars of the community, need to come together for a common goal. If you have walls around your property, nobody can come in. 
 How has it changed since you were growing up here? I left in ’85 for college and when I got back I saw that there started to be a breakdown. I saw division, it was like a strange land. There is no order in the community. 
 How would you define this community? Fragmented. &nbsp;

Wyandanch people: Heath A. Broughton

HLWYAN14

On Day 3 in Wyandanch, I’ll meet with more of the people who make this community tick. 
 This afternoon, I’ll speak with Delores Jenkins, principal of LaFrancis Hardiman Elementary School, who will be honored for excellence in education by the Town of Babylon at next week’s Black History Month celebration. 
 Eight women will be honored at the celebration on Feb. 25 for their contributions to different areas of the community. Among them is also Sondra Cochran, executive director of the Wyandanch Community Development Corporation, who I will speak with later this week. 
 After meeting with Jenkins, I’m headed to the Wyandanch Senior Nutrition Center for the last in a series of six courses called “Excellence in Entrepreneurship,” sponsored by the Farmingdale Small Business Development Center and funded by Citi. 
 The free program grooms local entrepreneurs for a successful business venture and is focused on low- to moderate-income areas like Wyandanch. I’ll talk with participants about how the course has helped them and how they are preparing for Wyandanch Rising, which will create opportunities for businesses. 
 If you have other suggestions for my week in Wyandanch or would like to share your own thoughts on the community, you can reach out to me by email, on Twitter or in the comments.

Town Focus: Wyandanch, Day 3

There may be metal detectors and a security guard at the entrance to Wyandanch Memorial High School, but on Monday a contingency of outsiders was welcomed. 
 Since the start of the school year, a growing number of community-based organizations has met monthly at the school to discuss what each is doing to help support students in the low-income Wyandanch Union Free School District. 
 On Monday, Roslyn Savings Bank, State Farm insurance, the New York Civil Liberties Union and Phoenix House were just a few of the organizations gathered to discuss recent initiatives and issues involving the community. 
 Jamie Ward, a guidance counselor at the high school, said in a district with limited resources such as Wyandanch, having the support of community organizations makes an enormous impact on student success. 
 “We just don’t have enough time or resources on our hands to deal with all the issues our children face each day,” she said, noting that Roslyn Savings Bank recently ran a financial literacy course for students and State Farm sponsored a successful college day. 
 The monthly meetings started in the fall and are organized by Sabrina Fearon, project coordinator for the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, which runs a program called SNAP out of Wyandanch High School. The program works to keep students from engaging in destructive or at-risk behavior. 
 Though not a district employee, Fearon works from an office in the high school. She suggested all the outside organizations working with the school unite when she realized that two organizations were working toward the same grant for separate programs at the school. 
 “All of us have the same initiative,” she said. “It made sense for us all to work together and be aware of what the others are doing.” 
 In addition to the monthly meetings, which Fearon said have resulted in better programs for the students, there are benefits to community representatives having a physical presence at the school. 
 This month, counselors from Phoenix House, the substance abuse rehabilitation center, will begin working from an office at the Wyandanch high school and middle school, said wellness counselor Wendy Alfaro, an attendee of Monday’s meeting. 
 Alfaro said Phoenix House has been working with the district in both schools since September to help counsel at-risk students with a focus on prevention instead of treatment. 
 “We’ve realize the benefit of someone being here full-time in the building,” she said at the meeting. 
 Fearon said she hopes the meetings will continue to grow as more of the community takes an interest in student success. 
 “Everyone is bringing in one piece,” she said. “When everyone looks at the issues we’re facing and takes one piece of it, it makes it that much easier to accomplish.”

Groups come together in Wyandanch

Community groups come together in Wyandanch

HLWYAN16

Throughout this week's Town Focus series in Wyandanch, we are profiling people we meet, from community leaders to residents we bump into around town. 
 Pecolia Bostic Age: 68 Wyandanch Community Development Corp. member; raised seven children in the community 
 How long have you lived in the community? 53 years. 
 How did you end up here? My mom and stepfather moved us here from Plainview. I was about 14, 15. They were farm workers, there were lots of potato farms around then and they worked there in the summers. But they left there, and my stepfather worked in a cemetery here and my mother was a housewife. 
 What was it like for you? I loved it. I was originally born in South Carolina. My mom and my auntie came up here first and were working in Plainview and then a year later brought my brother Larry and myself. I was from the country, so moving to Long Island, I loved it. It was comfortable. First we lived on Round Swamp Road and I felt at home, there were lots of trees. But we didn’t like living on the farm so we were happy when we moved to Wyandanch. 
 Eventually, the homes came and the trees left. A lot more people came. I only left Wyandanch for two years. I moved to Bay Shore, but then I came back. 
 Why did you move back? My mom still lived here, the community was nice, you get to know everyone. Back then, you watched out for one another’s children. 
 How has the community changed? The growth, as far as both the number of people and the community. Back then it was a lot of Italians and Polish, at least 80 percent of the population. My first friends in Wyandanch and my family were the only two black families on our whole block. Through the years that has changed, but a lot of people from my generation have sold their homes and moved out. On my block -- and I’ve lived there for 38 years -- only two of us are still there. 
 What would you like to see change? Wyandanch Rising is a change and a big improvement. It’s bringing businesses back in the community, and we also need to bring back interest in the community. 
 Our parks are not utilized as they were. The pool at Geiger Park is not used. I myself have taken an interest in seeing that pool utilized again. The kids from the neighborhood go to other neighborhoods for things to do. My kids used to have lunch picnics at the pool and at the parks. I myself would spend Sunday at the pool. 
 I’d also say the village of Wyandanch needs to be improved. I remember every store that we used to have, they are all gone. But Wyandanch Rising is promising a new version of the village, new businesses coming in and that has improved it.

Wyandanch people: Pecolia Bostic

Jamie Ward Guidance counselor Wyandanch Memorial High School 
 Ward was born and raised in Wyandanch and attended Monmouth University on a full basketball scholarship. She came back to the school district as a special education teacher in 2000, but took the first guidance counselor position that opened up. She said her true passion is helping students get into college. 
 What made you come back to Wyandanch after college? When I was pursuing my degree to be a guidance counselor, one of my interns was helping a group of special needs students get into college. I found that I really enjoyed it. When you see what can be done when you have a lot of resources -- because there were a lot of resources at Monmouth College -- you want that for the kids from your own community. There’s nothing like going back and helping people succeed. 
 What was it like for you to come back? It wasn’t actually my plan to come back and I was nervous. I was a big basketball player here, so when I came back everyone wanted me to be focused on that. They wanted me to be a coach. My focus was educational and getting kids into college -- that’s my passion. 
 What are the biggest challenges that face the Wyandanch community? We don’t have as many homeowners as we did when I was growing up. We have a lot of transitional people, Section 8 housing, rental housing. There are not a lot of business owners in the community, either. There used to be, but those businesses have been eradicated. We don’t have enough people investing or bringing resources in. 
 What are the strengths? No matter what transition takes place, we’re still a very family-oriented community. We still have Wyandanch Day, we have events that go on in the library and the school that bring people together. We’re still very family oriented. 
 How would you define the character of the community? Very persevering. Our mascot is the Indian Warrior and that defines us. We can get slammed in the public media and the things that go on in the streets can define us, but we focus on the positive. We have students going to college on scholarships, we have successful students. You have to really come in and walk the halls and meet the students to see that. We have a lot of people who care.

Wyandanch people: Jamie Ward

On Day 2 in Wyandanch, I’ll actually be pulled away from the community for part of the day and into Babylon. There, I’ll meet town archivist Mary Cascone at the Town of Babylon History Museum, where she’ll take me through a modern history of Wyandanch. 
 She said her work right now is focused on the community's pre-World War II history dating back to the establishment of its Long Island Rail Road station in 1842. 
 Yesterday, I sat in on a Community-Based Organization meeting at Wyandanch Memorial High School. Guidance counselor Jamie Ward said CBO meetings started at the beginning of the school year as a way to unite all the organizations that have come into the school to help support the students, such as SNAP, which provides resources for youth in at-risk communities; Phoenix House, which opens offices in the high school and middle school this month; State Farm Insurance, which sponsored a college initiative for the school recently; and Roslyn Savings Bank, which sponsors financial literacy courses for students. 
 I also met with a few people who have lived in Wyandanch for all or most of their lives. Look for their interviews throughout the day to learn more about how the community has evolved from their points of view. 
 You can reach out to me or follow my musings around town on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/eringeismar">Twitter</a>, via <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">email</a> or in the comments. 
 <a href="http://yfrog.com/5ld0fz">See video of Erin on her second day in Wyandanch.</a>

Town Focus: Wyandanch, Day 2

We met Candis Tolliver at the Wyandanch Memorial High School community organization meeting Monday. 
 Tolliver, a graduate of the high school, works for New York Civil Liberties Union, based in Manhattan. 
 She is helping its Suffolk County branch become acquainted with the Wyandanch community. She moved to Queens four years ago, but before that lived in Wyandanch from fifth grade. 
 How are you connected to the community? We have a Suffolk County chapter, and because they know I grew up in Wyandanch they wanted to bring me in. And I still have a lot of family here. 
 Family aside, what is it about this community that keeps you connected? I love it. I love the people here. This community has made me who I am. The teachers in this school have guided me -- I'm going to visit one teacher in particular right after this. I played sports here, too, so I'm really connected to the high school basketball team, I'm always finding out if we're winning, what's going on. 
 The people here have good hearts and they really care about your success. People care about you getting into college, and I don't know if I would have gotten that elsewhere. 
 What challenges does this community face? The economic hardships that have affected the entire country have definitely affected people in Wyandanch. You have a lot of blue-collar workers that are working two, three jobs and they don't necessarily have the extra time to give their kids the kind of support they need. That's a big problem. So I think the community -- and also the schools, because the school is one of the lowest paying schools on Long Island -- need more resources for economic development to be headed in a better direction. 
 How would you define the character of the community? I think people here are feisty. We're fighters, the Wyandanch Warriors, that's our team name. They fight for a better life -- for themselves and their families, regardless of what's going on in the outside world. There's a spirit here that keeps people fighting. 
 We met Tolliver, who works for New York Civil Liberties Union, at the Wyandanch Memorial High School community organization meeting. (Feb. 13, 2012) Photo by: Erin Geismar

Wyandanch people: Candis Tolliver

People of Wyandanch: Candis Tolliver

HLPEOP12  Candis Tolliver  croppedf

Today, we start our latest installment of Town Focus -- this time in Wyandanch, a centrally located community in the Town of Babylon that’s involved in a major revitalization project. 
 Erin Geismar will start the week at Wyandanch Memorial High School, where she will sit in on a meeting of community organizations and meet with Guidance Counselor Jamie Ward to find out what Wyandanch’s students are up to. 
 Coming up this week, Geismar will focus on Wyandanch’s history and how it has evolved, talk to some of the key players invested in the community’s progress and sit in on a business forum aimed at helping budding entrepreneurs get started locally. 
 You can follow Geismar on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/eringeismar">Twitter</a> and send suggestions via <a href="mailto:erin.geismar@newsday.com">email</a> or the comment section below. 
 Above: Wyandanch Park is home to picnic facilities, playgrounds and basketball and tennis courts. (Jan. 26, 2012) &nbsp;

Town Focus: Wyandanch, Day 1

Town Focus: Wyandanch

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