Entry #14: Schools that lack adult resources
have to begin thinking "outside the box

Columbus, Georgia -- How do you get 1,200 parents into a gym that holds 600? That was the problem Blackmon Road Middle School experienced some time ago and it was only resolved with the help of their community. According to school officials, there have been several of these "problems" due to great parent turnout and support at music functions as well as school year kick-off events.

Here in Columbus, as well as in other parts of the country, one solution lies in collaboration with local churches in programs such as Partners in Education. Instead of just looking for local for-profit businesses, schools are beginning to seek partnerships with religious institutions and other non-profit programs.

The need for space at Blackmon Road MS was remedied by moving down the road to the sanctuary of Morningside Baptist Church. This comfortable and beautiful facility is ideal for music programs as well as graduation events. According to Pastor Ed Helton, the Church partnership is similar to those in Atlanta and Pensacola and simply requires the setting of clear parameters at the outset. Approved through school board channels, church representatives cannot evangelize in any way but can offer skilled assistance for projects such as the nature trail behind the school and provides mentors for the classroom. The Church benefits from occasional use of the school gym as well.

Seems that this church, like many others in the Columbus community, has an excess of willing volunteers and retired folks, while schools are lacking in adult resources. Also, as Pastor Helton pointed out, the church is a vital part of the community -- like the school -- and both benefit from the increased communication. Now there are several other similar relationships around the city.

In fact, on Friday I attended the "graduation" of several young adults from the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program. These letters stand for Building Responsible Individuals through Discipline, Guidance & Education. Twelve young adults received their GED's and encouragement for the road ahead after completing a 13-week course involving academic skill building and practical life experiences. The Muscogee County School District supplied the primary instructor, St. Luke's Methodist Church donated the classroom space, and various other churches and community agencies provided supplemental instructors, materials, transportation. You get the picture. This was the third graduation this year.

Then, there is Project Rebound. While this unique middle school intervention program began from the efforts of Dr. J.A. Hud, a school district social worker, it has quickly become a collaborative project of the park system, the housing authority and the school district. In a parks and recreation building, students that have been suspended for 10 days or longer are given the chance to stay caught up with school work for half a day, then they're challenged by the staff to change the behaviors that brought them, with assistance from local law enforcement and off-duty firemen.

Finally, I want to mention my visit to Faith Middle School at Fort Benning. Since I had never visited a Department of Defense school, I didn't know what to expect. What I found was a pretty typical middle school that has the same struggling students most public schools experience. In fact, counselor Fred McCraw had identified over 100 students as candidates for a mentoring program in partnership with Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Columbus.

What makes this program unique is that all of the mentors are supplied by Fort Benning, and they have ENOUGH. In fact, there are only 23 students signed up presently and plenty of military personnel waiting to spend at least an hour a week with a student. Did you know that at most bases like Fort Benning, the commanders have said to their personnel that they "WILL be involved in mentoring"? In addition, the armed services have plenty of printed materials (what a surprise) outlining mentoring programs in complete detail, including data proving that good mentoring increases student achievement.

The way I see it, in order for our schools to find willing partners, we need to look for folks with both the time and motivation -- not those who are already too busy or who just aren't interested. I would bet that almost every school has individuals in the community that do care and may even be waiting for a chance to be involved in the lives of youth. This trip has helped me see outside of the box most educators live in. Hope you can too.

Happy Holidays, Darrell and Family


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