Life Academy principal, Mr. Paul Palmisano, comes to the Tri-Lakes region from New York City where he founded and ran a program serving over-age male dropouts for the NYC Board of Education.

There he taught every subject to over-age, inner city male drop-outs. 

Mr. Palmisano holds degrees from Queens College, CUNY, and Brooklyn College, CUNY:  BS, Environmental Biology; MS, Education; Advanced Certification, School Administration and Supervision.  Mr. Palmisano was named the Athlete Scholar of his graduating class, lettering in both basketball and lacrosse.  He has nearly a quarter-century of teaching experience, and over twenty years of experience with at-risk students.

Please click on this link to view a short video honoring Mr. Palmisano's experiences on 9/11:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgAQKswaj9A

Life Academy's founder and principal, Mr. Paul Palmisano, became a modern-day minuteman on September 11, 2001, when our country was attacked by terrorists. He left the safety of his school on Fort Tilden, NY, borrowed turn-out gear from a local volunteer fire department, and arrived at Ground Zero twenty minutes after the second World Trade Center tower fell.

Though untrained as a rescue worker, he was not unprepared for the challenge. He credits his faith in Jesus Christ for giving him the courage to do what needed to be done. "I knew Jesus' death on the cross paid for my sins and I'd accepted Him as my Savior. Because of that, I knew for sure that if I died down there, I'd be going to meet Him in Heaven." Mr. Palmisano had been memorizing the 23rd Psalm with his young son. The verses he'd committed to memory flooded his mind hour after hour, day after day, as he participated in the rescue effort, first helping survivors find shelter and medical help, then working on the smoldering pile of rubble.

Mr. Palmisano's efforts serve as an inspiration for our students to prepare themselves well, for we never know what God will call us to do in the future. We must be ready to face the hard tasks that come our way. We must meet the future with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will be with us in our battles, because He is a warrior--"Blessed be His name!"