Jenny Reborchick pauses for a photo in her classroom at Sparta Elementary School.

From corrections to prevention was a worthwhile move for Reborchick

Jenny Reborchick has worked in prison systems in two states. As the state's Juvenile Crime Prevention Council counselor for Alleghany County Schools, her work emphasizes the prevention side. That includes giving behaviorally at- risk youths individual attention and taking time to listen.

Reborchick works with 15 children currently. Most are male; they range in age from second grade through high school. Some of the older children in the program have already been adjudicated by the court system. "That's after the fact. The whole thrust is prevention. If you can get the kids before they enter the criminal justice system, that's what your hope is," she said.

"You've got a better shot with a child that's not reached the fence yet....Once you get to the other side — I'm not saying it's too late; it's never too late — but it's harder to reach people once they get older and become hardened....

"It's such a fast-paced world, we don't have a lot of time. A child needs time....They need someone to listen. They need someone to be honest with them — sometimes saying, 'That's not such a good idea,' or 'You've got to buckle down and be responsible,'" Reborchick explained.

Education/Corrections Background

She came to work in the Alleghany School system last August. A Pennsylvania native, Reborchick graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. She earned a master's degree in education from Penn State University.

She spent much of her adult years in Florida, where she did legal research with a federal prosecutor and with the state attorney's office. Reborchick also did legal research with a prison attorney in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. She worked in the prison systems in those states, counseling and supervising a drug and alcohol program.

Her husband Mark is a painting contractor, and for a few years in Florida she participated in that business with him. "I took a break from the human services field. I worked part-time in Florida with special education, working with children that are severely emotionally disturbed."

The Reborchicks moved to Ashe County almost two years ago. Last year she worked in the Wilkes County school system with severely and profoundly handicapped children. She described those pupils as non-verbal, non- ambulatory, high-needs children; of the group of nine, seven were in wheelchairs.

Her position in Alleghany provides a closer commute.

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