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-- From "Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin"


By Tom Farrey
ESPN.com

The building has such a rundown, industrial look that on the first day of summer classes, Kitwana Rhymer got lost in a most unlikely way. Stepping off a New York City bus, the then-high school basketball star walked four blocks down a busy boulevard before realizing his search for Christopher Robin should have ended right where it began, at the one-story brick box with the covered-up windows next to the bus stop.

The Book on Christopher Robin

If not for the periodic comings and goings of students, Christopher Robin Academy fades into the industrial area of Queens that surrounds the school. Legal status: Unincorporated, for-profit business Owner and principal: Robert Donus Teachers: 8 Full-time students: 160, in grades 1 through 12 Part-time students: 100 Summer-school students: 300 NCAA-approved courses: 34 Sources: Christopher Robin Academy, U.S. Dept. of Education and NCAA

	Like many high school basketball standouts with academic troubles, Lenny Cooke turned to Christopher Robin Academy in an attempt to become eligible for college.

Christopher Robin has a long history of exaggerating and outright lying about its academic credentials to the public, falsely claiming that it belongs to accrediting and other bodies that appear to vouch for the quality of its education.

Among other misrepresentations in the current school brochure, Christopher Robin claims to be a member of the prestigious National Association of Independent Schools, whose 1,200 members include many of the oldest and best prep schools in the nation.

That's just not true, said NAIS spokeswoman Myra McGovern. "We don't have any schools that are for-profit (in structure)," she said.

Christopher Robin literature also claims the school is accredited by the "North Eastern Conference of College Preparatory Schools." Officials at several of the top accrediting bodies, however, said they had never heard of such a group, and ESPN.com could find no record of the organization.

When pressed, Donus conceded that he, too, is uncertain whether the organization exists. "Never bothered to look," he said.

Distinguished alumni of Christopher Robin

Rhode Island's Tavorris Bell and La Salle's Dwayne Jones, right, both attended Christopher Robin Academy. Bell is now a Harlem Globetrotters. Jones will be a senior in the fall. Dwayne Jones A junior guard at LaSalle University, Dwayne Jones said the NCAA should not be accepting grades from Christopher Robin, based on what he saw when he attended the school in 1997 and '98. "I feel there should be some sort of investigation done in terms of students leaving that school with credits," he said. He described it as a school where the quality of instruction is "rather low," and teachers give inflated grades. He said he stopped going to the school after a conversation with family. "I wasn't being challenged so my father asked me, 'What are you really getting out of this school?' " Jones said. "I said, 'Nothing.' So he was like, 'Then you need to be a man and make a decision.' And I did." Jones: Players received inflated grades at Christopher Robin Eric King King averaged 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds as a freshman for St. John's. A freshman forward at St. John's University, Eric King said he was drawn to Christopher Robin because of its reputation for helping basketball players. "Everybody wants to be part of the tradition," said King, who was New York City's top public-school player while at Brooklyn's Lincoln High School in 1999-2000. "Everybody wanted to go there and make a name for themselves." The third-leading scorer for the Red Storm last season, King said he "learned a lot" at Christopher Robin and credits the school for getting him into college. "Most people probably just went there and looked at someone's paper because the class was crowded and it was easy to look over and see other people's papers," he said. "But if you go there and apply yourself, you will learn." Lenny Cooke Lenny Cooke is trying to leap from high school to the NBA. One of the nation's top high school prospects this year, Lenny Cooke enrolled in four classes at Christopher Robin in November as a desperate, last-ditch effort to gain his NCAA eligibility, according to a source. At the time, he was taking only one core course at his regular, more rigorous high school in New Jersey. But when he regularly skipped his Christopher Robin classes over the month of January, the absences were not held against any eventual grade he would receive, principal Robert Donus concedes. Cooke merely was permitted to reschedule the classes. "This is part of what we offer," Donus said. "These are part-time students. If he was a full-time student here and he was constrained to an actual schedule in our school during the year, then we would do that (fail him). But since he's a part-time student, we're flexible." Such a forgiving attendance policy would not be acceptable in an area public school. "You have to go school to pass," said Catie Marshall, spokesman for the New York City Board of Education. "You can't just blow off school for a month. There's no such thing as 'flexible scheduling' in our schools." Cooke left the New York area in March and has declared for the upcoming NBA draft. Related story: For Lenny Cooke, it's all academic

Donus went to federal prison three years ago for distributing student records in a fraudulent manner, the type of crime that educational experts say probably would disqualify him from continuing as an official at many other schools.

Court records show Donus supplied student visa forms to a woman outside the school who, according to the prosecutor, used them to keep foreigners in the country. Prosecutors allege Donus sold hundreds of those forms over a four-year period beginning in 1993, charging $25 to $50 for each.

When approached by ESPN.com, Donus at first denied any knowledge of the matter. But court and prison records show he pleaded guilty to the illegal transferring of identification documents and served a year in prison. When shown a legal description of his case, he conceded only that the Immigration and Naturalization Service "asked questions" about the legal status of students but maintained he never was incarcerated.

"He may think in his mind that he didn't go to prison, but he was in prison," said Dennis Faulk, spokesman for Allenwood Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security facility outside Williamsport, Pa. Donus was incarcerated there from July 1, 1999 to May 24, 2000. He spent the remainder of his term in a halfway-house facility in New York and eventually was released on June 28, 2000. (Federal Bureau of Prison's database).

James Tatum, the prosecutor, said he is not aware of any visa forms in that case having been used for international athletes. But education experts say the misuse of any student documents by Donus should give the NCAA pause.

"How many times do you have to find a lie to suddenly begin to say, 'I really don't trust what these people say'?" said Don Petry, executive director of the National Council for Private School Accreditation. "Why would you want to accept credits from such a school?"

The question becomes increasingly relevant if the NCAA enacts either of two proposals now under formal discussion by member colleges and due to be voted on later this year.

Both proposals would raise the minimum number of core courses from 13 to 16, and place more emphasis on core-course grades in determining who qualifies to play Division I ball. One proposal would allow athletes with a 3.0 GPA, a "B" average, in those courses to qualify with an SAT score of no more than 620 -- 200 points below the current minimum standard. Another, more dramatic proposal would allow an athlete to qualify with an SAT score, or ACT equivalent, of 400, if they can compile a 3.55 GPA, a "B+" average, in those classes.

Schools with questionable academic practices stand to benefit under either proposal. In fact, the basketball business at Christopher Robin took off in the mid-1980s when, under Proposition 48, the NCAA first began requiring that athletes complete a minimum number of core courses in high school. Even more athletes gravitated there after 1996 when the more stringent Proposition 16 raised the required number of core courses from 11 to 13.

The NCAA is aware of suspect patterns at Christopher Robin. The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse, which reviews and approves high school transcripts to determine if prospective athletes meet eligibility standards, has referred many transcripts to NCAA staff for further investigation because the grades seemed out of line with the student's academic history, said Clearinghouse director Calvin Symons.

"I don't remember seeing any Fs on any transcripts (from Christopher Robin)," Symons said.

Another NCAA source who has reviewed Christopher Robin transcripts, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he has never seen any grade of less than a B. "Anybody who goes through Christopher Robin raises a red flag for us and we look at them," he said. "Problem is, we have no jurisdiction. What they send in is questionable, but we can't do anything about it."

As a matter of policy, the NCAA chooses not to pass judgment on the quality or credentials of any school. The association has never ordered the removal of any of the 22,000 high schools in its database, and it isn't going to start with Christopher Robin, said Diane Dickman, NCAA director of membership services. Her division handles academic matters.

"There are almost no scenarios under which the NCAA would begin to police this secondary school or any secondary school in terms of whether we would accept core courses or not," Dickman said. "It's an inappropriate role for us to play. The state of New York and state department of education have clear jurisdiction over the school."

Jurisdiction, but little power. When it comes to private schools, state educational guidelines are largely advisory and the state has little ability to shut down or punish a school, even for illegal behavior by a principal, said Tom Hogan, head of the Office for Non-Public Schools, a division of the New York state department of education. (See related story.)

In that regulatory vacuum, basketball players find a haven in Christopher Robin. Most of the dozen players that ESPN.com spoke with were appreciative of the school for helping them gain their college eligibility -- and sometimes retain their high school eligibility.

"You know, I passed," said Odom, who went there during the summer after his sophomore year to replace failing grades at Christ the King, his regular high school at the time. "I was able to play basketball the next season."

	Clippers forward Lamar Odom is expected to cash in as a free agent during the upcoming offseason.

Odom had just led Christ the King to the city Catholic-league championship. Like many players, he took classes at Christopher Robin in a special August session tailored to the AAU summer-league basketball schedule, which keeps players busy at national tournaments through the end of July. At most schools, the summer session wraps up at the end of July.

"Sometimes when you focus on playing sports, what you do is you just want to get through what you need to get through," Odom said. "I was able to do that (there)."

Said Rhymer: "I mean, they'll teach you but I don't think it's a place that would fail you."

Donus, 59, takes pride in his role as the go-to guy for academically troubled basketball players in the New York area. His parents founded the school in 1950 when it served only elementary-school age children -- hence the Christopher Robin name. But since taking over as principal in 1980, Donus has expanded the business and developed a network of high school, college and AAU coaches who steer players his way.

He said he sees himself as providing a "valuable professional service" to elite basketball players hoping to reach the next competitive level.

"When you can enjoy the satisfaction of catapulting some of these minority high school students into some success, you have to be satisfied," Donus said.

Donus says he "likes to drop" Odom's name as a Christopher Robin success story. He cites the money Odom is making as an NBA player, which includes a $7.8 million rookie contract that expires at the end of this season.

"It's beautiful," he said, of Odom's wealth. "It's a beautiful thing."

Former teachers paint a less complimentary picture of Donus and his school. Each of the three teachers that ESPN.com spoke with said Donus was so determined to deliver passing grades to students that he changed failing grades that they gave to undeserving students.

Lindsley, one of two teachers who taught high school classes at the school in the early 1990s, said Donus changed the grades he gave his students "at least 10 times" during Lindsley's two years at the school without ever consulting him. None of the altered grades that he later became aware of involved basketball players, but that students in general knew they would not get failing grades as long as their tuition was paid, Lindsley said.

"It wouldn't fail anybody," he said. "It doesn't matter who it was.

"As a teacher, I can tell you the kids know whether I failed or passed them, they're gonna get through. That's the way it is."

Lindsley said he left the school because he was discouraged with the school's practices. When asked about Lindsley's allegations, Donus said Lindsley was fired for "incompetence," but would not elaborate further.

	Robert Donus lives comfortably in a tony section of Long Island.

Donus said he charges his part-time students $250 for the first course, with discounts for every additional course. For full-time students, tuition is $4,700 a year. The school generated $600,000 in revenue last year, said Donus, who lives in an upper-income suburb of New York City and drives a convertible Jaguar.

Donus insists that players do not get inflated grades at his school, and denies he ever personally changed the grade of any student. He said basketball players who fail at other schools succeed at Christopher Robin because of personal attention they receive from teachers.

"It's the kind of situation where we will accommodate an individual," Donus said. "You have to remember that in any academic situation, grading is subjective.

"I think if anybody examines the grades that many of these basketball players have earned, there rarely is anything exceptional about (them). I'd say these grades are pretty commensurate with what they usually earn."

Brother Frank Byrne studied the grades of Rhymer, and didn't like what he saw. Principal at St. Raymond's high school until last month, Byrne said the school stopped accepting transfer credits from Christopher Robin because Rhymer did considerably better in classes there than he did at the Catholic school.

"They were a bit too high for what I considered a proper grade for summer school," Byrne said. "So I suggested that we really not use that school anymore."

	“	It's the kind of situation where we will accommodate an individual. You have to remember that in any academic situation, grading is subjective. ”
		— Christopher Robin Academy principal and owner Robert Donus

Rhymer said he was surprised that permission was given to attend Christopher Robin, even then. Like many schools, St. Raymond's has restrictive policies about allowing its students to pick up credits at other schools while enrolled at the Catholic school. But an exception was made for Rhymer, who said he was steered to the school by St. Raymond's Gary DeCesare, one of the most successful coaches in the city.

"If you go to summer school, you go to theirs," Rhymer said. "That's what I thought, but they (approved) it and I was like 'All right, that'll work for me.' "

Rhymer said grades he received at Christopher Robin allowed him to stay eligible for the ensuing prep basketball season, as well as meet his NCAA requirement. But after failing to acquire the necessary minimum SAT score, he was forced to sit out his first season without a scholarship at Massachusetts. The 6-foot-10 center recovered academically and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Atlantic 10 Conference his junior season.

NCAA rules require that athletes submit transcripts from every high school they attended when applying for initial eligibility. But it may not always be clear to the NCAA who has gone to Christopher Robin, due to the way some of the players' regular high schools account for the grades they receive at the Queens school.

In Rhymer's case, his grades from Christopher Robin were merged and averaged with his grades in the same classes at St. Raymond's, Byrne said. Nowhere on Rhymer's high school transcript from St. Raymond's does it indicate that he even went to that school.

Whether benign or intentional, under-reporting of Christopher Robin grades appears to be common. The NCAA Clearinghouse, which processes transcripts of prospective college athletes, only received Christopher Robin transcripts from 17 athletes between 1995 and 2000, according to an NCAA source. That total is far fewer than the 25 athletes that Donus said will attend in any given year.

Information about the school and its athlete-students hasn't always been readily available, either. In the winter of 2000, the NCAA stopped by Christopher Robin to ask questions about the legitimacy of a grade given to one player, according to a source familiar with the case. Christopher Robin office staff told investigators that Donus was unavailable to answer questions because he was on an extended leave for "mental and physical" stress, making no mention of his prison term, the source said.

The NCAA's investigation ultimately was dropped due to a lack of information. Said one investigator, "It defied credibility that the player would have taken a substantiative course there that summer, but we couldn't eliminate the possibility that he did do the work."

LaSalle University guard Dwayne Jones was not involved in that investigation, but questions how much work any player has to do to get a passing grade.

Raised outside Toronto, he said he was steered to Christopher Robin by the coach of his Canada-based AAU team -- testament to the wide reputation the tiny school has for accommodating basketball players. While spending a summer getting exposed to college scouts on the New York basketball circuit, Jones said, he took four core courses and received high grades with little effort. He returned the next year to take another four courses.

But Jones said he never used any of those credits to satisfy his NCAA eligibility. That's in part because he stopped going to Christopher Robin, bothered that he was learning "nothing." He ended up scrambling to get his eligibility in order by loading up on classes at his regular high school in Mississauga, Canada.

His advice to other players coming up through the system is blunt: Stay away from Christopher Robin, even though the NCAA gives the green light.

"I just feel there are institutions out there where you don't cheat yourself," Jones said. "You'll feel better about yourself knowing that you did a lot of work at another institution and made it somewhere rather than doing no work at all and making it somewhere."

Tom Farrey is a Senior Writer with ESPN.com. He can be reached at tom.farrey@espn.com. ESPN producer Jon Gerstel contributed to this story.

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