TheBurg

26 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 08.20 BREAKING WALLS, BUILDING LIVES At Nativity School, Lavelle Muhammad educates, prepares boys for life. | BY DEBORAH E. LYNCH M ost cultures believe that parents must always put their children first. But, unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. At 14 and 15 years old, Lavelle Muhammad was sitting in rehab centers in the Lancaster area with his mother, helping her work through her issues. at pain has never left him and is what propelled him on his life's path. More than 30 years later, Muhammad is trying to find solutions for young boys, some in similar situations, now as principal and executive director of Nativity School of Harrisburg, a middle school for disadvantaged inner-city boys. Sometimes, however, life continues to intrude on the safe space that he and the school are trying to create. In just one week last September, two shootings outside Nativity's home at the Camp Curtin YMCA in Harrisburg disrupted school. e day after the second shooting, the community turned out to support the anxious students with state representatives, city councilors, county commissioners, police officers, firefighters and neighbors, who showed up to walk them safely into school. But getting back to normal required their 6-foot-3 gentle giant of a principal to emit calm and allay fears. "I think he's so good with them," Nativity board Secretary Sheri Phillips said. "One, I think because of his—he has such a good presence because of his size. And, two, because his voice is just so calm. He doesn't get overly excited. He has a very calming presence for the boys. ey have a lot of respect for him." His students echo those feelings, adding other words to the list like "curious" and "corny." "Lavelle Muhammad made me want to be at school because he brings good vibes into our school," said Jahfi Logan, now a rising 10th-grader at Trinity High School in Camp Hill. Even more, Logan liked that Muhammad is relatable and "laughs at his own jokes." As his teenaged experience of being a parent to his parent illustrates, Muhammad didn't always find it so it easy to laugh at himself. "I was so angry, so similar to these boys [at Nativity] because I didn't understand why I was angry, but I was angry by the condition and the life circumstances given to me," he said. He was able to channel his anger and pain through his athletic talents. In high school, his coaches and a special teacher, who saw the pain through Muhammad's popular sports star bravado, gave him hope. at teacher, "who, with all due respect, was a nerd," didn't judge. Instead, he offered solutions as "he talked to me differently than anyone had ever talked to me," helping Muhammad make it through high school and onto the football field at Millersville University. After college, he felt a bit lost, but that lack of direction proved fortuitous, leading him to Harrisburg for a new start. He had a job working with juvenile delinquents and fell in love with the community, even as he grew frustrated over the senseless killings and misguided youth. "I just wanted to be an agent of change, so I got with some like-minded men who were concerned citizens, and we would just mentor the youth, work with them, walk around the streets, communicate with people, let them know there's an opportunity out there beyond what they were given now," he said. Since that time, he's continued to reach out within the community to find others who would help him work to secure the streets. It's there that he's found potential Nativity students. He said that young boys running the streets at night, some shirtless, would see him and his friends walking the streets, dressed in suits, and would be amazed at this sight. ey became almost like well-intentioned Pied Pipers as the boys, intrigued, would follow along beside them, asking questions, staying safe. Some did end up attending Nativity School after Muhammad sought out their parents and explained the school and its mission. Lavelle Muhammad in front of the new Nativity School of Harrisburg.

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