|
SENSEI KENNETH TETSUJI BYALIN
Sensei Kenneth Tetsuji Byalin is a Soto Buddhist priest, and Sensei in the lineage of Roshis Bernie Glassman and Sandra Jishu Holmes. He is the founder and spiritual head of the Zen Community of Staten Island and resident teacher of Multifaith Zen at Mount Manresa. On April 20, 2009, the John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School in Staten Island received its charter and opened in September 2009! Founded and established by Sensei Byalin, Lavelle Prep provides a unique model in the public education system, enabling students living with emotional challenges fully integrated in a rigorous college preparatory program. All Lavelle Prep students benefit from the small classes, superior educational technology, enriched instruction, and a curriculum that addresses their emotional and social needs. Ken credits his training in socially engaged Buddhism with Bernie and Jishu as giving him the confidence and focus to manifest his vision. He bases the work on the Zen Peacemakers Three Tenets. At Lavelle Prep, all students, those with disabilities and the non-disabled, enjoy the high-quality, integrated educational experience that breaks down barriers, develops open-minded leaders, and demands academic excellence, all while nurturing the minds and souls of our children. To establish Lavelle Prep, Ken and his team at the Verrazan Foundation have had to overcome the most unimaginable bureaucratic obstacles. They have had to unite politicians, school boards, and various interest groups in the community They are recruiting and training extremely teachers, while implementing an extremely challenging, Harvard-recommended curriculum. They have received over 150 applications for their first class of 75 6th graders. They raised $140K by the opening of the school in September. If this effort to provide quality education for emotionally challeneged children touches your heart, please consider a donation to The Verrazano Foundation, 777 Seaview Avenue, Staten Island, NY 100305. Ken is also founder and President of the Verrazano Foundation, a non-profit organization that combats the stigma and discrimination against persons living with mental illness. The Foundation creates visible opportunities for people in recovery to contribute to society. A professional in social work practice for over thirty years, Ken played a leadership role in the development of the Brookdale Community Mental Health Center and South Beach Psychiatric Center. He also taught social work and sociology full-time at the college level and maintained a private psychotherapy practice in Brooklyn and Staten Island for over twenty years. Ken received his Bachelors degree in English literature from Carleton College, his Masters in social work from Columbia University, and his Doctorate in sociology from New York University. He holds clinical social work licenses in New York State and New Jersey and has published in numerous professional journals. |