BELFAST — BCOPE was created from a grant from the Office of Substance Abuse and opened its doors at the red and white shoe factory, otherwise known as the Belfast Center, in 1990. That was my mother’s generation as well as many more parents of current BCOPIANS.
The space was much smaller than we have now, with four rooms, no kitchen and no office, but they made do with what they had. Then, 12 years later in 2002, they made home on Merriam Drive where we still are in 2024.
The first time I stepped through the doors of BCOPE, I felt a connection to the school like no other; on the walls were picture frames filled with photos of families and friends, grinning. I saw my mother, too, smiling at me through the grainy texture of the photograph, and on another wall, my older sister holding baskets of food she was helping prepare. BCOPE carries its history through any building, every teacher, and each student.
What you may notice as you walk through the BCOPE doors are circles. The tables are set in a way that invites everyone into the conversation. The teachers and staff of BCOPE don’t like anyone to be forgotten or go unheard. And the circles bring a certain sense of unity to our community.
You may also notice just how many BCOPE graduates there are in the community, working hard and supporting their families. Students who were buoyed by the self-assurance that their time at BCOPE provided. BCOPE graduates are everywhere!
Students who wish to attend BCOPE go through an application process. Each student is required to write a personal essay about why they need to come to BCOPE and their ability to work with the BCOPE community in a supportive and healthy manner.
Every student who decides to join BCOPE is accepted as fast as they let themselves be. I’ve never found myself to be surrounded by such an encouraging group of people. Every day I am thankful for the help they’ve given me for the last three years.
Policies are still implemented in the BCOPE guidelines that keep kids focused and safe. Our phones aren’t to be used during classes unless granted permission. Each student is encouraged to speak to any of the teachers if we have a problem, even personal problems that are outside of school.
Also, there is certainly no slacking off at BCOPE — everyone is expected to participate and come to school ready to learn. Helen, among others, has driven to students’ houses to bring them to school, when asked. We also have chores and duties that have certainly instilled in me personal and external responsibility.
BCOPE has a singular overarching mission statement: to give everyone who attends an opportunity to succeed. Students know how they individually learn and what they need to learn. That understanding is applied to their projects and their academic work. The school becomes a place for students to thrive and everyone is accommodated in their own special ways.
“The only person in your way is yourself.” — Helen Scipione. That was our principal’s and my teacher’s response to my doubts. I’d gone into her office with a brewing worry that I merely wasn’t good enough to write, and she knew, she reassured me. I am lucky to have her guidance; to be able to hear and understand her affirmations. Helen seems to almost always know what to say and when she doesn’t she helps you figure out what can be said.
“You are a loved child,” is the sentiment most often said and also the hardest to forget, and it is proven to me every single day.