From time to time, Life Academy is the subject of interest in local publications.

Reproduced from:

“The Constitutionalist Today”

August 2010, by Sharon Boileau, Guest Writer

“Life Academy”

    There is a one-room schoolhouse located in Monument where the Constitution is taught year-round to junior and senior high school students.  This is a school whose students attended the Colorado Springs Tea Party with posters in hand in April as well as the Monument National Day of Prayer in May as voluntary activities in lieu of classes.  Life Academy is a Christian alternative junior and senior high school that breaks the mold of an “alternative” school not only in what is taught, but who attends.

     Over the past five years, students who have transferred into Life Academy from the public school system and other private schools run the gamut of student profiles--from those looking for a more conservative and personalized educational environment to those needing more structure and boundaries in their learning environment.  More than 90% of Life Academy graduates enter college.

     Paul Palmisano is the founder and principal of Life Academy, assisted by teacher Lexie Forbes.  And since Palmisano and Forbes consider themselves “strict Constitutionalists”, their students graduate with a clear understanding of American history.  The school offers a core curriculum written to Colorado State standards and is free of state and federal funds, supported by donations and tuition only.

     WallBuilders is a valued curriculum source at Life Academy, as it is dedicated to presenting America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation.  The Constitution is also taught through classic American History books, written assignments and a mini-lesson prepared and delivered daily by Palmisano and Forbes.  The art of expressing oneself through writing is a definite focus at life Academy.  As she coaches the students through English lessons, Forbes explains that if they cannot express themselves clearly in writing, they will not be able to make their political (among other) views understood to legislators.

     For visitors entering this school for the first time, there is definitely something that instantly sets it apart--student behavior.  Behavioral expectations are very high, and nothing less is tolerated, according to Palmisano.  It is obvious to any visitor that the students are very respectful to each other, to their teachers, and to visitors.  I was amazed at the students’ confidence and poise at being called upon, without advance notice, to explain what they were working on or why they chose Life Academy.  Although the daily academic expectations are clearly laid out for each student in their customized daily planner, the classroom takes on a more relational, family-type atmosphere due to the one-room concept.

     Palmisano has nearly a quarter-century of teaching experience, including more than 20 years of experience with at-risk students in New York City.  He founded and taught a program serving over-age male inner-city dropouts of the NYC Board of Education.  He holds degrees from Queens College, CUNY, and Brooklyn College, CUNY, with a BS in Environmental Biology; an MS in Science Education; and Advanced Certification in School Administration and Supervision.  He was named Athlete Scholar of his graduating class, lettering in both basketball and lacrosse.  Because of his athletic interest, this small school sports a winning basketball team.

     His patriotic passion became known when he became a modern-day minuteman on September 11, 2001, as our country was attacked by terrorists.  He became a first responder after leaving the safety of his school in Fort Tilden, NY, borrowing turn-out gear from a local volunteer fire department, and arriving at Ground Zero twenty minutes after the second World Trade Center tower fell.

     This is the spirit that fills this small school, nestled deep in the back woods of the Baptist Camp property off Baptist Road in Monument.  In spite of its location and size, it has proved mighty in its ability to light the future of our children and our country.



Reproduced from:

"The Tri-Lakes Tribune"

September 8, 2010

by Pat Rooney

"A Selfless Act of Patriotism"

   Paul Palmisano was not unlike the thousands in New York City--and, before long, the millions around the world--when the life-altering events of September 11 unfolded nine years ago.  Unlike most people, however, Palmisano’s shock soon gave way to action.
     Palmisano is the principal and basketball coach at Life Academy, an alternative religion-based institution that often offers a home for troubled youngsters.  Before arriving at the Monument-based academy, Palmisano held a similar post at Fort Tilden, an academy in the Rockaways of New York City that provided educational opportunities to overage dropouts.
     Palmisano was at work on September 11, 2001, when a few students came inside from their breaks, telling Palmisano the World Trade Center was on fire.  Even with the black smoke thickening across the skyline, Palmisano assumed there had to be another explanation.
     He then got the call that set him on a remarkable, if harrowing, journey.
     “Because [the school] is on federal land, I got a call from the supervising ranger telling me the World Trade Center was under attack,” Palmisano said.  “They were going to lock down the area, so I called parents, helped get everyone out of there...these kids were 18-to-21-year-old kids, so that part wasn’t that bad.” 
     His immediate duties handled, Palmisano was at a loss as to what to do next, though his inner debate did not last long.  Spurred by his unwavering patriotism and a dogged sense of responsibility honed through his faith, Palmisano borrowed gear from a friend that worked at a nearby fire station and made his way into Manhattan.
     While thousands were fleeing the Financial District, Palmisano trudged into the chaos--first taking a cab, then bumming a ride from a cop, before arriving at the devastation just after the second tower fell.
     “I just really felt it was my duty.  I was free, so I went,” Palmisano said.  “I really just thought that everyone who could go in, would go in because it was their duty.  That was why I was going south while everyone else was fleeing north.  I was enraged.  I’m still enraged that our country was attacked.
     “The first casualties I saw that first day were people who had been fleeing.  They were covered in soot, dazed... I just tried to calm them down and point them in the right direction to get out of there or get help.”
     For the next five days, Palmisano worked at Ground Zero, spending most of his time helping to unload barges at the nearby docks that were bringing equipment and donations to the scene.  Palmisano estimates he spent about 25 percent of his time on the actual pile of the former towers, participating in human chains that helped pass out everything from debris to the haunting leftovers of personal effects.
     Because he lived close enough, Palmisano would go home each day to see his family and get a few hours of sleep before returning.
     Understandably, the five days Palmisano spent at Ground Zero left an indelible impression, one that inevitably surfaces from his subconscious every time the anniversary rolls around.
     “I was born and bred in New York City, and I’ve never seen that kind of patriotism,” Palmisano said.  “Besides the nightmares, that’s what I remember.  I didn’t know if I had it in me until that day.  Now I know I’m someone that can go in when others have to go out.  I’m aware of the anniversary.  I never take days off, but next year I’d like to go back for the 10-year anniversary.”