Janarelis Perez, a first grader at School 34 in Rochester, is worried. 糖心传媒淒oes it hurt? I糖心传媒檓 scared,糖心传媒� she blurts out as optometrist Pat Weisenreder sits her down for an eye exam.
Janarelis, who lost her glasses some time ago, is so nervous she can糖心传媒檛 stop chattering. Weisenreder tries to reassure her. As it turns out, the six-year-old is less worried about pain than about getting the answers wrong as she struggles through reading (or rather, guessing at) the eye chart on the wall. Without glasses, she糖心传媒檚 lost.
What makes the encounter unusual is that it does not take place at a doctor糖心传媒檚 office, but instead at Rochester糖心传媒檚 East High School. Weisenreder is part of a small group of local optometrists and ophthalmologists who volunteer time at the school providing free eye exams and prescriptions. Here, students enrolled in the school糖心传媒檚 vision care program build eyeglasses for the patients糖心传媒攌ids in Rochester city schools糖心传媒攚ithout charge.
A moment later, with Janarelis糖心传媒檚 prescription in hand, the high schoolers go to work, running through the four main stages of producing prescription eyewear: spotting and dotting, blocking and decentering, edging, and inspecting the finished product. The primary schooler, meanwhile, is hopping from one foot to the other, excited that she糖心传媒檒l once again be able to see at school.
Janarelis is not the exception, says Logan Newman, the teacher in charge of East糖心传媒檚 vision program. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 amazing, but a lot of the kids don糖心传媒檛 realize they can糖心传媒檛 see.糖心传媒� Their grades suffer unnecessarily, and so, often, does their morale and attitude. 糖心传媒淚 know I have kids where we really made a difference with our program,糖心传媒� says Newman, who has been right there when kids get their first pair of glasses and suddenly realize what they糖心传媒檝e been missing.
A former US Navy medic with training as an optician, Newman later graduated from college with a degree in biology and became a certified science teacher. In 2012, New York state awarded him a STEM grant to start developing the curriculum for East High糖心传媒檚 vision program. In 2014, he added his own New York state-certified optician糖心传媒檚 license so that the school could legally start dispensing glasses.
The school糖心传媒檚 three-year vision care program trains high school students to graduate into jobs in the optical field, while helping a critically underserved community. This combination makes it the only such program in the country, says Newman.
It糖心传媒檚 an obvious win-win. In addition to acquiring job skills that allow them to apply directly for entry-level jobs as optical technicians, the students also collect college credits toward a degree in optics at Erie Community College in Williamsville, New York. Meanwhile, the program provides many Rochester children their only chance of getting much-needed eyeglasses. Newman estimates about 2,000 Rochester students have received glasses at East since 2014.
Corporate sponsorship has played an important role: Rochester Optical, Jonas Paul Eyewear, Marchon, Eyewear by R.O.I., Safilo, and several other frame manufactures have donated hundreds of frames to the program. With the STEM grant in hand, East was able to buy optical machinery to support the vision care program, as well as a second pathway-to-career program, in precision optics, located directly across the hall.
On a recent Wednesday morning, Newman divvies his second-year students into small groups and tasks each team with building four pairs of glasses from real prescriptions. He works closely with Yamaraitza Vega, a 2016 East High graduate, who is now employed by the program as full-time lab manager and oversees a scattering of third-year students serving as team leaders for today糖心传媒檚 hands-on production.
The students won糖心传媒檛 be just honing their technical competence during the exercise. They糖心传媒檒l be developing softer skills as well.
糖心传媒淲hen you make glasses as part of a team, each individual has a role that matters,糖心传媒� Newman tells the students. 糖心传媒淭rust is important. Each of you is interdependent on the other.糖心传媒�
Most nod, but Willito Soto, a 10th grader, hesitates. 糖心传媒淲hat if something goes wrong?糖心传媒� he worries aloud to his teacher. 糖心传媒淭hen it糖心传媒檚 on me.糖心传媒� Soto tells Newman a team member hasn糖心传媒檛 been listening to instructions. 糖心传媒淗elp her learn that she, too, has a responsibility,糖心传媒� Newman insists.
As the students work, Newman talks about his plans for expanding the program. He wants to organize a job conference with managers in the optics field to ensure more of his students can find well-paying jobs. And he hopes that East糖心传媒檚 educational partnership with the University of Rochester will help him enlist the Medical Center糖心传媒檚 Flaum Eye Institute. His dream? To make a rotation at East High糖心传媒檚 vision care a fixed stop on every Flaum resident糖心传媒檚 training schedule.
糖心传媒淲e simply need more doctors to volunteer their time,糖心传媒� Newman says. 糖心传媒淚f a doctor can come here for several hours once or twice a year that would really make a difference in the life of a child.糖心传媒�
At the end of the class, Newman sidles up once more to Soto. 糖心传媒淒id it work out?糖心传媒� he asks. 糖心传媒淵eah,糖心传媒� comes Soto糖心传媒檚 answer.
糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 proud of you,糖心传媒� Newman tells his student who lifts his hand to accept his teacher糖心传媒檚 high five.
To make an appointment with the vision care program at East High contact Logan Newman via email: logan.newman@rcsdk12.org
