Aberdeen

Have you ever thought of this? When children are critically ill, how do they continue their education? In some cases, it's very difficult.

In Assignment:Edcuation.. We are going to take you to a school that has opened its doors and its heart to these children.. And it would like to take more.

--[Teacher says:] "It will be 13 add one-fourth"--

This is a seventh and eighth grade math class at Aberdeen Preparatory School in North Tampa. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Like most private schools.. classes are small. In fact, nothing really separates Aberdeen from other private schools in the Bay Area.. except for one impressive thing.

--[Another teacher says:] "Is that match? No." (She smiles)--

These are the Lacour girls. Five sisters ranging in age from 13 to four. They all attend Aberdeen... for free. The reason? Four of the five have Sickle Cell Anemia. But they are not the only ones at Aberdeen who have chronic illnesses. In all, 12 critically ill children.. who are under the care of the Children's Cancer Center.. are receiving free educations at Aberdeen. Bob Castellano.. and his wife Sandy.. are the school's owners. He says they began offering scholarships to critically ill children in 1991, when a young girl with cancer visited their school.

--[Bob Castellano says:] "I remember she came in wearing a football helmet. She had no hair and after looking at our school the little girl said to her mother.. Mom, this is where I wanna go. Uh, the mother started crying and said uh, honey we can't afford to send you here.. And we turned to her and said 'oh, yes you can."--

And ever since then, Castellano has increased the number of scholarships the school offers to very ill children.. like the Lacours. The girls' mother says she doesn't know what she would do if her daughters couldn't attend Aberdeen.. for a host of reasons.

--[Mother, Gisele Lacour says:] "It's clean. There's not too many kids so therefore they won't get sick as much.. So, the teachers are very nice."--

In short, Aberdeen offers a nuturing environment for its ill students.. One the Lacour girls and the others are lucky to have... thanks to kind heartedness of two people who believe school should be as much about tolerance, understanding and love as it is about books and lessons. If you would like to support Aberdeen Preparatory's out-reach to young cancer patients, call Kathy Miller at the Children's Cancer Center in Tampa. The phone number is 813-276-5735.

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