Most people leave E42 Menswear with a pair of the latest sneakers, but for seven young Bermudian men the establishment is where they have been receiving their high school education.

Located on St. Monica's Road in the '42nd Street' area, 'Beyond This' is an alternative school housed in the rear of the retail store owned and operated by Stanford (Wayne) Bradshaw.

Why call it an alternative school, as opposed to a home school, which are cropping up all over the Island?

He explains: "I prefer to use the term 'alternative school' because unlike some home schools, not only do I work with the students, but people in the community come here and teach the young men different subjects such as Bermuda history. Also, the other schools don't have a mentoring programme in place like we do."

The mentoring programme is Mr. Bradshaw's way of getting his students to look out for one another. His students range in age from 11 to 17, and each older boy is responsible for a younger one. The big brother role for each may vary from day to day. In one instant, he could be ensuring his charge gets to and from school safely, and in the other he may check his little brother's homework before handing it in to be marked. That way, said Mr. Bradshaw, the young men understand the importance of taking responsibility for others as well as taking a leadership role in all aspects of their lives.

Opening an alternative school was not something that Mr. Bradshaw aspired to do. He laughs when asked why he wanted to take on such a venture.

"I didn't. Last year I began talking to the young men who were frequently standing outside of my store, and discovered that some of them didn't have a high-school diploma. I introduced them to Mrs. (Neletha) Butterfield of CARE and a few of them attended some of her classes."

For him, the rest is history. He began to tutor students, preparing them for their General Education Diploma (GED), then parents starting prodding him to open his own school. According to him, he pondered the decision for a few months until one day he was in the bank and a lady told him that if he opened a school, she would send her son there. On September 1, 2001, he took the decision to open Beyond This.

The atmosphere in the school is by no means boring. On the day I attended, Mr. Bradshaw and his students were heavily engaged in a lesson regarding respect.

"What gives you the right to hit someone else? " he asked.

The room came alive with various animated responses.

"If they take my stuff", said one student.

Another replied: "If they talk about my mama."

They all laughed in agreement. Your could feel the camaraderie in the room as the boys laughed and joked with each other as Mr. Bradshaw demonstrated how respect, love and kindness are key elements for being responsible.

Is home schooling an effective means of educating our youth? For 15 year old Lynn, it is.

"My mother removed me from the public school I was attending because there were too many distractions for me and I was getting into a lot of trouble," he said.

"At first I was attending another home school then my dad asked me if I wanted to come for an interview with Mr. Bradshaw for his school. I agreed and I've been here since February. I like being here and I really like that there are not too many children here, which allows me to focus better. I don't ever want to go back into the public school system."

Lynn is one of two students who are currently on the pre-GED programme. Although he could sit the exam in November, he is planning to take it next April. This would allow him to graduate with his high school diploma a year earlier than his peers in the mainstream public education system.

Mr. Bradshaw said once the young men have completed their studies they will fly to New Jersey to sit their exam. Once passing scores are confirmed, they will receive their diplomas from the state of New Jersey, as opposed to having simply a GED certificate.

"I chose to affiliate with the state of New Jersey because I have found that diploma requirements on the East Coast are more rigid than other parts of the United States, so once they have completed the programme, they know that they have earned it."

In addition to their academic workload, the boys enjoy various field trips throughout the Island.

Mr. Bradshaw recalled how he took them on a ferry ride on a rainy day; they stood out on the bow of the boat as the rain pelted their faces. He smiled as he recounted their questions as to why they were there.

"They kept asking 'What's the point of this?', but what they didn't know was that they were having a simulated history lesson on the type of treatment slaves encountered as they were being transported from Africa."

He prefers to give his students real-life experiences instead of teaching everything out of a book. Eleven year old Asante, the youngest student at Beyond This, enjoys it more than anything else.

"The reason I enjoy being here so much is because at this school, you are able to learn in different ways. I like when we go to the movies, then write reports and have group discussions because we get to hear each other's thoughts and opinions. I really like to learn this way."

This is something that pleases Mr. Bradshaw. He says that he likes to know that the students are enjoying his school. Word of his success is spreading - he currently has 25 young people on his waiting list. However, he will be unable to expand his student body until he finds a bigger facility, a process that he is currently undergoing. He is also planning to accept females at his school in the future.

Mr. Bradshaw has envisioned a lot for Beyond This and its students; a field trip to London is in the works and he said he would like to host a school dance in the upcoming months.

Empowering Bermuda's children is always foremost in his mind.

"I feel that it is important that we educate our children to the best of our ability... Listen to our young people to see what they want. If they are willing to achieve, then we have to create the ability for them to be successful."