Students Tell of Envy, Understanding

The children from Manhattan's George Washington High School last night gave College officials and Faculty members an insight into what it is like to be a promising student in an unpromising neighborhood. After a visit to morning classes and an afternoon trip to M.I.T., the products of New York's Junior High School 43 program described their reactions to an unusual situation.

Explaining the situation in his neighborhood, James Provinzano said, "there are a group of characters in my neighborhood. I pass by them on the street, and I know I'm different--I'm going to college. They can have their gang wars."

Provinzano noted, "I live a few blocks from Columbia," and hurriedly added, "this doesn't reflect on Columbia." Then he continued, "Thanks to the project, I will go to college and have a good life."

Brenda Grant, while admitting "there are some bad people around," said, "I associate with all the people, and they haven't dissuaded me from going to college. In fact, they envy me, in a way."

What about dating? "You mean, am I particular?" Miss Grant asked. "When it comes to going with a fellow, he doesn't have to be a college grad or anything." But, she said, "Some boys don't want to go with anybody who has an advantage over them."

Children Tell of Sharing Ideas

Telling of the effect of their status on their friends, the children spoke of some hostility, but mostly understanding and a mutual sharing of ideas. "At first, the others didn't want anything to do with me," Audrey Berry said. "But they came back, because I never stopped liking them."

Some of the children said they had been able to influence their less fortunate friends. Andreas Panagis told how "one day I went to the Lewiston Stadium concert, and I liked it. The next time my friend decided to come with me. We went three nights in a row. Later in the summer, he took me to a show in Central Park, and now he likes to go to Broadway plays."

Provinzano had a small problem in his own family, with his younger brother. "Once in a while I came home crusading," he related. "I crusaded against Elvis Presley and asked my brother why he didn't want to go to college and stop loafing around, and he hated me. Now he still hates me, but he's going to go to college."

Hector Motronl, the class valedictorian who learned how to play the piano while working as a bus-boy in a night club, gave the Harvard educators a picture of how much the project meant when he said, "I would be working now if not for the project. I needed to work, but the project was there, fortunately, I saw a big door opened and everything I wanted inside.

"When I came from Cuba four years ago, I wanted to work. All of a sudden, I want to go to one of the country's top colleges. At first I knew just about New York and Cuba, but now I want to know everything.