But the multi-talented seniors at the Alternative Community School also celebrated their commitment to justice, equity and compassion at commencement Monday night.

The evening began with a message from radio journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, who has been on death row in Pennsylvania for 20 years for the killing of a police officer. According to defenders, he was framed because of on-air comments the Philadelphia establishment didn't like.

The author of "Life from Death Row," "Death Blossoms" and "All Things Censored" recommended that students read Jonathan Kozol's "Savage Inequalities" about the inequalities in American schools. He said the system is badly in need of alternatives.

"ACS is an important beginning," he said." Perhaps it can light the way for others to follow."

The presentation was the senior project of Sally Heron.

One of the requirements for graduation from the Alternative Community School is to "understand bias and take action to eliminate it." Though all 29 graduates met the requirement, none were as visible Monday as Heron's.

In an interview before the ceremony Ben Furnas said he worked, as did some other ACS students, at Lakeside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and with 18- to 20-year-olds with disabilities in the Youth Bureau's Recreational Mainstreaming Program.

"At Lakeside, we helped out at activity time, but our real purpose was to talk to the residents and learn from them, to bridge the age difference," Furnas said.

He said he came away from the experience convinced that we need to give older people a better role in our society.

"But instead of revering them, we shuttle them away into (institutions)," he said.

Working as a dance instructor with disabled young adults, Furnas said he had to fight a tendency to treat his charges like children.

"I wrote a lot about this," he said. "It's rude to look down on them and help them all the time. You just treat them like any other 18-year-olds, was the conclusion I drew."

Graduating senior Tracy Talmadge had a similar experience teaching swing dancing to special-needs 6-and 7-year-olds. Even more amazing, she said, was working with a mentally-challenged 32-year-old woman with the City Health Club.

"She was incredible," Talmadge said. "When she was lifting weights, we'd up the pounds every time. She'd say, 'I want to challenge myself,' and we'd go up as high as 62 pounds. That's such a great mentality for anyone to have."

Asia Dillon was one of five students who designed a workshop on "White Privilege" which they gave both at Ithaca High School and at ACS.

"Change" was the theme of ACS Principal David Lehman's parting message to the graduates.

He spoke of reading Spencer Johnson's "Who Moved My Cheese?" about mice and "little people" in a maze and their reactions as they found their beloved cheese moved one day. All acted out of instinct or self-interest in solving the problem.

"Why have a maze?" Lehman asked. "Where is the collaborative democratic community sharing the decision-making?" he asked to roars of laughter.

"I see you not fitting into a maze," he told the students. "I see you making changes for democratic justice and self-determination. And I don't see you as 'little people.' I see you ACS graduates as giants."