On any given Wednesday afternoon during the school year, the yellow cafeteria at South Lakes High School is filled with activity. On one end, near the lunch lines, the double-Dutch club hops through swinging jump ropes. And in the corner, members of the Latino club dance to salsa music blaring from a boom box.
In the middle of the after-school hubbub is John Coleman, one of the high school's security and safety specialists. Coleman is the sponsor of both the double Dutch and Latino clubs, in addition to a slew of other activities intended to keep South Lakes students out of trouble and away from risky behavior such as drugs, alcohol and gangs.
"We just try to keep them interested in school," Coleman said. "We want them to feel like they're a part of something."
Coleman, who has worked at South Lakes since 1994, has been named a 2004 recipient of the A. Heath Onthank Award for his service to the high school and Reston community. The award is the highest recognition a county or school official can receive in Fairfax County.
"Reston is a nice community and it's an honor and a privilege to be here," Coleman said. "I want to be a good part of it. I want them to want me here."
COLEMAN HAS EARNED a reputation among the South Lakes faculty and in the surrounding community for caring about Reston's young people and for implementing programs that make changes for the better. For example, he organized and served on the Community Outreach Program, an anti-gang forum that helps South Lakes parents identify and deal with gangs and drugs.
Also, he keeps a stack of job application forms in a drawer in his office, constantly handing them out to students he believes would benefit from added responsibility. Over the years, he has helped students get jobs at local businesses, such as a Reston dry cleaning shop, Reston Hospital Center and Safeway.
"I find a lot of students that need purpose," he said. "I try to be responsible and I try to help them be responsible."
But Coleman's community service extends beyond the South Lakes campus. He often drives senior citizens to church or to pick up groceries. He is frequently called to help his neighbors fix a home maintenance problem. He volunteers at the Reston Teen Center and with the Shadowood Youth Program.
Coleman has also brought in former students and members of the community to serve as mentors and provide security for school events, such as this year's Stomp Fest, a step show held in the school's auditorium.
"He really helps people make changes in their lives," said Cindy Morris, a counselor at South Lakes.
ON A RECENT AFTERNOON, in between classes at the high school, a girl who had been in a fight the previous week giggled and waved as she walked past Coleman. She had just written a heartfelt letter of apology to the other girl in the fight, which Coleman held up as proof that troubled students can put their conflicts behind them and turn them into something positive.
"That's my girl," Coleman said. "I've never seen a letter like that."
Coleman received another letter a few weeks ago from a former student that he stopped while she was on her way to a fight with another girl.
"I was going through the halls, cussing, yelling just like my cousin, but then you stopped me, pulled me aside," the former student wrote. "I was a better person than that."
When he had stopped her, Coleman said, he pulled her aside and told her she was too good to solve her problems with violence. Receiving letters like the one from the former student remind Coleman that a difference can be made in the lives of at-risk teen-agers.
"It inspires me," he said. "It really does."
Judy Clark, a counselor at the high school who works alongside Coleman in trying to help every student become a responsible member of the community, said it takes a team effort to help students facing hurdles such as poverty and single-parent homes.
"We have a mission," she said. "That's what we believe."
COLEMAN'S MENTOR, Richard Sampson, a fellow safety and security specialist who also patrols the hallways of South Lakes, said Coleman has a rare ability to relate to students from all walks of life.
Together, he said, they believe they are slowly making the community a safer, better place by addressing the underlying causes of violence and drug use.
"We're here to help and try to enrich these kids' lives," Sampson said. "One day at a time. One day at a time."