Keeping on straight, narrow

Jeff Benson

Even the best and brightest teens can make some dumb choices from

time to time. It pretty much goes with the territory of being an

adolescent.

But nine sophomore boys attending Corona del Mar and Newport

Harbor high schools -- all childhood classmates who attended Mariners

Christian School together from kindergarten on -- have found the

secret to making smart decisions:

Nine heads are better than one.

Their club, High School Students for Humanity, meets at one of the

boys’ houses twice a month, so the students can help keep one

another’s heads on straight. They talk about the temptations of sex,

drugs and alcohol, among other teen issues, and refer to the Bible

for guidance.

“We talk about Scriptures a lot, and the Bible,” said Corona del

Mar High School sophomore Matt Byers, 16. “It just reminds us, when

we’re under peer pressure, to make the right decisions.”

Newport Harbor sophomore Kyle Kula, 16, agrees.

“I’m able to trust them,” Kyle said. “We’re really close friends,

and we’ve known each other a long time. We can come and talk about

stuff. We talk about getting through high school, what we struggle

with, peer pressure and grades.”

Along with Matt and Kyle, High School Students for Humanity

comprises Corona del Mar High School students Chris Horton, 15; Luke

Brown, 15; David Applebee, 15; and Brad Smith, 15; and Newport Harbor

High School students Carson Carpenter, 16; Ryan Hilts, 15; and Brian

Beaudette, 15.

The students’ immediate goal is to incorporate clubs into their

two high schools, a process now underway. After that occurs, they

might look to get the club organized at other high schools.

When the club formed two years ago, the students also enlisted the

help of two adults, Mariners Christian teacher Tim Bahadoor and

volunteer football coach Chuck Brummett.

“To be honest with you, I learn more from them than they do from

me, because I remember what life was like as a kid,” Bahadoor said.

“This is a very unique situation, because the kids basically came to

us good. We just try to keep them on the same track they’re currently

on.”

The club thrives because of strong parental upbringing, he said.

“We don’t want to replace their parents when they come to us, but

sometimes we’re able to steer them back to their parents,” Bahadoor

said. “But if anything threatens their safety, we definitely try to

get the parents involved.”

The boys met at a Newport Beach Stater Bros supermarket Saturday

to collect food for Orange County’s hungry, said Carson’s mother,

Kathleen Carpenter. They collected about 200 bags of food and

supplies to give to Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange.

“There were so many comments from others on how nice it is to see

young men doing this,” Kathleen Carpenter said. “People were really

taken by this. The reality is that there are people who are hungry.”

Bahadoor approached Brummett in 2003 with the idea of the pair

volunteering to mentor the boys. Brummett’s concern was how the pair

would ease the boys’ transition from a Christian school environment

to a public high school environment.

The practices of praying before games and practices and good

citizenship on the field aren’t as prevalent at the high school

level, Brummett said. But the students would become model citizens if

they remembered their upbringing and were able to express their

feelings openly to people who’ll listen, he said.

“I told them not to be surprised if there was cursing on the field

where they were going,” Brummett said. “Basically, they were going

from a protective environment to one that’s more open. There are

problems you don’t encounter here.”