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By Dan Reany

Civil War artist Mort Künstler came all the way from his New York studio Friday to shoot hoops with two students at Timber Ridge School. Before and after the impromptu game, he squeezed in some time to take a tour of the rest of the campus.

Over the years, Künstler has donated the use of five images from his Civil War series of paintings to be used for Timber Ridge's annual Christmas tree ornaments. Sales of Künstler's ornaments have netted Timber Ridge more than $100,000.

Künstler's recent visit marked the first time he visited the school. "I'm very impressed. Overwhelmed, actually," Künstler said. "It's a vision and a dream come true for the founders. Seeing a vision fulfilled is a remarkable thing, and they did.

Timber Ridge's first students came in 1971. The campus is now home to 85 students who have come to the school for a variety of reasons, from emotional disturbances to neglect.

"We've got 85 kids for 85 different reasons," said Director of Institutional Development Troy Newbraugh.

Newbraugh was Künstler's partner for a two-on-two basketball game against 15-year-old Marcus Patterson of Wytheville and 14-year-old Brandon Barnes of Winchester. Having spent some time at UCLA on a basketball scholarship, Künstler's still got game on courts. He and Newbraugh beat Patterson and Barnes 5-3. Barnes said he was just getting warmed up by the time the game ended.

Both students said their grades have gone from D's and F's to A's, B's and a few C's in their time at Timber Ridge. "I thank Timber Ridge for that," said Patterson, who was removed from a group home before coming to Timber Ridge six months ago. "Timber Ridge has really helped me with my school. Now I'm thinking I want to go to college and be a lawyer."

"I probably wouldn't be in school at all if it weren't for Timber Ridge," said Barnes. Before coming to Timber Ridge almost a year ago, Barnes used to get in trouble at school for fighting. These days Barnes doesn't even need a pass to get around campus. "The staff trusts me."

"Timber Ridge has been good," Patterson said. "Timber Ridge is really what you made out of it."

"Be good to the staff and they'll treat you pretty good in return," Barnes added.

The two took Künstler on a tour of the campus, which has 24 buildings on 152 acres. During the walk, Künstler asked them about their schedules, their chores, what they think of life at the school, and their favorite sports.

By the end of the tour, probably the only thing on the young men's mind was, "When can we get a rematch?"

To learn more about the Timber Ridge School, visit www.Timber-Ridge-School.org.

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