The Family Foundation School

In my life before The Family School I was extremely self-centered. I hurt everyone around me to get what I wanted and got a lot of negative attention by acting like a psycho. I had no interest in God because he probably didn't want me to steal, lie, cheat, or use substances.

My life became unmanageable early on. I was kicked out of 8th grade for drinking and drugging, and a year later was thrown out of 9th grade for the same reasons. I also owed thousands of dollars in gambling debt and spent my life running from those I owed money to.

Before FFS, my life was unmanageable and out of control. I was shooting heroin, selling drugs, stealing, and lying to my parents. I did anything to blind me from reality because I hated who I had become.

At home I was an overeater and extremely overweight. Going to school was the last thing on my mind. I stayed home and slept all day, then got up and stayed out all night. I was rude and disrespectful and had fits of temper.

At home I perfected the art of quitting. My attempts at sports, school, and relationships amounted to nothing but pathetic stories because I never followed through. I did not like myself and wanted to escape the judgment of others.

My life at home was full of lies and deceit. I became part of the tough crowd in middle school, and in high school I was in and out of detention, got into bad relationships, ran away and was sent to a psych ward.

To put it bluntly, I was a drunk. I didn't care about my family, or God, just drinking and smoking. I was drug-tested for the first time at 12, at 13 I was in outpatient rehab, and at 15 I was sent to wilderness and then to The Family School.

I was 15 and my mother was driving me to the hospital. She was crying, but all I could think of was what a good job I had done not eating. I felt no remorse, only the desire to leave and continue killing myself.

I am an alcoholic and a drug addict who couldn't live life on life's terms, so I drank. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, I was introduced to heavier drugs and started stealing and selling his pain medication.

I was empty, angry, miserable, and lonely at home, and used any means possible to numb my feelings. I dropped out of school. Nothing really mattered, and I was quickly using up my friends and family.

Science

Earth Science - 9th Grade

Observation and measurement of the environment, the changing environment, measuring the earth, earth motions, energy in earth processes, insolation and the earth's surface, energy changes in the atmosphere, moisture and energy budgets, the erosional processs, the depositional process, the formation of rocks, the dynamic crust, interpreting geologic history, landscape development and environmental change.

Biology - 10th Grade

Similarities and differences among living organisms, homeostasis in organism, genetic continuity, reproduction and development, evolution, ecology, human impact on ecosystem, scientific inquiry and skills, laboratory skills.

Chemistry - 11th Grade

Introduction to chemistry, measurement, problem solving, matter, energy, the atom, formulas & equations, the mathematics of formulas & equations, physical behavior of matter, the periodic table, bonding, properties of solutions, kinetics & equilibrium, oxidation-reduction, acids, bases & salts, organic chemistry, nuclear chemistry.

Physics - 12th Grade

Measurement and mathematics, mechanics, two dimensional motion, planetary motion, work and energy, electricity and magnetism, waves, modern physics.

Science Faculty

Gerald Janauer Science Department Chairman

B.S., M.A.T., Ph.D., Binghamton University

Gerald joined The Family Foundation School in 2006 as a chemistry teacher and, given his interest in photography, soon set up the school's first photography class. He was named Science Department Chairman in 2008. Prior to FFS, Gerald taught chemistry at SUNY Delhi. He and his wife Ann, principal of FFS, live in rural Hancock where they enjoy a range of outdoor activities, from gardening and raising chickens to bicycling and hiking.

Ann Janauer Chemistry Teacher

B.A., Ph.D., Binghamton University

Daughter of The Family Foundation School founders Tony and Betty Argiros, Ann joined the FFS faculty in 2006 as a chemistry teacher. She previously taught chemistry at Delhi State College and Sienna College. Her administrative duties since returning have included Director of Human Resources, and in 2009 she was named principal. Ann and her husband Gerald enjoy backyard farming and are active promoters of local agriculture, including organic produce and dairy products, grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork.

Christine Speicher Biology Teacher

B.S., St. John's University

Christine came to The Family Foundation School with a background in medical technology, and has taught biology since 1999. She served as the science department chair for three years, and also taught English and science classes in the FFS middle school. In addition to her teaching duties, Christine is a Family Leader, along with Tom "Woody" Wood, in FFS Wilson House. Off campus, she enjoys traveling and motorcycle riding with her husband Joe.

Larry Leung Physics Teacher

B.S.M.E., Worcester Polytechnic Institute
M.A.T., Physics, Binghamton University

Larry joined the faculty of The Family Foundation School in 2004 with more than 10 years of classroom teaching experience in the New York public school system. He teaches Earth Science, Regents Physics and College Physics, and often uses his background and interest in mechanics and environmental science in his physics labs. The class's annual trip to Six Flags to study the physics of amusement park rides makes Larry's class one of the most popular on campus.

Fully 100 percent of Family Foundation School graduates are accepted to college or other post-secondary institutions, thanks to our high academic standards (passing grade is 75%), our small classes, and the tremendous learning support students receive from the teachers and peers.