Bethpage-Tribune_1980-10-30

              BETHPAGE OLD BETHPAGE PLAINVIEW
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ISLAND TREES PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
VOL. 15 NO. 30 The Week of October 30 - November 5,1980 20 cents per copy
A Walk In The Yard
George Von Kantor, and John De Guardi, Art Instructors, at
Bethpage High School visited the New York State Auburn
Maximum Security Correctional Facility recently.
Having previously visited the prison, and meeting Mr.
Mike Bintz, the educational supervisor of Auburn. Prof. Von
Kantor was requested to be a judge for the inmate's
forthcoming art exhibit. My teaching companion asked me to
come along with him to be an additional judge. On Saturday,
September 13, 1980 we found ourselves being greeted by Mr.
Bintz, and Mr. Al Celeoki, the art teacher of the prison.
Categories for judging were familiar to us for they included
oil painting, drawing, pastels, and water color paintings. The ,
exhibit was being assembled in the outer lawn of the prison
by 8:30 in the morning. After the judging, and the proper
ribbons put on for each regarded art work, the exhibit was
then open to the public.
Taking a quick glance I saw a sensitivity that reflected the
need for freedom by the inmates in the many open land and
seascapes. In contrast there were also paintings and
drawings of the chained, the sorrowful, and obvious unhappy
portraits of many individuals. After judging for over an hour
making some difficult selection of the many fine quality of
art work, Prof. Von Kantor photographed the exhibit. The
photographs in turn will be utilized by him in the classroom
for future lectures to his students. Some of the other prisons
visited by Prof. Von Kantor in the past have been The Attica
Maximum Correctional Facility, The Missouri State
Penitentiary, In North Carolina the Polk Prison, Triangle
Prison, Central Prison, and recently the Nevada Southern
Correctional Center. He: is still in the process of completing
a photograph slide presentation along with a book from his
extensive research which he has titled "Art From Within."
Shortly after the judging, we were invited to go beyond the
front lawn of the facility, and enter the prison to visit the
classroom of Mr. Celecki. Along with a written document from
Mr. Bintz, and showing some form of proof of our identities
we had to sign our names into a book logging the dates and
time of entry. Then came the metal detector.
We were told to remove the belt from our trousers, empty
our pockets completely of keys, change, wallets, and place
them on the counter. We walked through the detector, and
somehow I did not clear the inspection. I reached into my
pocket once more discovering eleven cents in change that
was apparently setting off the alarm. For unknown reasons
this put me into somewhat of a nervous state. Usually a cool,
collected, and experienced teacher, why was I nervous?
Perhaps of not knowing what to expect beyond the walls and
iron gates?
A gate controlled by a guard behind a glass inclosed booth
slowly opened, only to close behind us as another gate in front
of us opened in the same pattern. This was repeated three
times, and before each of the doors were unlocked our
security passes had to be inspected and double checked.
Finally, we entered a walled court yard with some forty feet
of solid concrete surrounding us. Walking about fifty feet we
came to another solid high wall which had a small steel door.
Mr. Celecki had a set of keys which opened into a court yard
larger than a football field.
Immediately we heard voices, a trumpet attempting to be
played, the activity of a handball game against one of the
surrounding walls, groups of men jogging and chanting, and
hundreds just sitting in small isolated groups. This was as
real as a prison could be under maximum security.
We walked slowly across the yard and noticed that some of
the inmates wore bandanas, .earrings, junk jewelry, hand
made hats, etc. However, the dark green pants and issued
prison tops were obvious that there was still some things
institutional about these men. As we walked to the end of the
court yard we were gazed upon constantly, but we made no
attempt to appear as if we were staring at any one particular
inmate. We stood in this mass of uniformed humanity with
our alligator shirts, chinos and Adidas sneakers.
Our journey continued through a small tunnel which joined
another large court yard. Mr. Celecki informed us that the
(Continued on page 10)
By John De Guardi -
Chairman, Art Dept. Bethpage H.S.
John DeGuafdi, Chairman of the Art Department at Bethpage High School an^ George Von Kantor, an
art teacher at the same high school, standing in front of the best in show of Jim Moore, an inmate at
Auburn Correctional Facility.
25th Anniversary For
Central Boulevard School
Central Boulevard School marked its 25th anniversary by
staging a massive balloon launch on Friday, October 24. Dr.
John Sommi, Superintendent of Schools, and his Assistant,
Mr. George Mann joined the entire student body on the
athletic field for the release of 600 colorful balloons. The
launch was conceived by Principal Kenneth Blau and carried
out by a small but enthusiastic group of P.T.A. members.
It took Dolores McAuliffe, Kathy Naughton, Charlene
Bove, Claire Knoth, and Janet Wencer five hours to prepare
the balloons, aided by Kay Kenney, Camille Noren, and Julie
Pugliese. Mr. Blau filled a good many balloons personally
and even Dr. Sommi and Mr. Mann were pressed into last
minute service.
Each balloon carried a post card bearing a child's name
and request for return. Central Blvd's P.T.A. will award an
ice cream to each child whose card is returned and the card
traveling furthest will earn a calculator. So far, cards have
been received from New York City, Connecticut, and Rhode
Island.