Students Receive Red Carpet Welcome on First Day of Classes

As thousands of children arrived at Village Academy and Carver Middle School for the first day of class on Monday, they got an unexpected surprise.

In addition to greetings from teachers and staff, a sea of men were on hand to welcome them — doling out high fives, fist bumps, handshakes and encouraging words.

Among the men were CEOs, an emergency room technician, several in suits, some in jeans, some in scrubs and several police and firefighters.

Some held posters which read: “We are proud of you,” “We Believe in You,” “Best Wishes this Year” and “Welcome Back.”

“We asked fathers, uncles, cousins, grandfathers, mentors and role models to come out and greet our students as they walk into the building,” Village Academy Principal LaToya T. Dixon said. “We want every student to know that we are investing in their education and that we are stressing the importance of coming to school ready to Work Hard, Be Good, and Think for the 2018-2019 school year.”

Like the students, some parents were surprised to see the welcome. But parent Saidah Simon was happy to see some diversity in the ranks.

“Last year it was mostly men and not many officers,” she said. “But to see Delray Beach police here is a big encouragement to the kids. It says, ‘You can do it,’ and ‘We got your back,’ and ‘We are on your side.’”

Monday’s initiative, organized by KOP Mentoring Network, was part of a nationwide move to enhance parent involvement and promote volunteerism in our schools. It was also an attempt to push forward a new image for black men and fight racial stereotypes, organizers said.

One of Dixon’s goals this year was to get fathers, grandfathers and other male role models more involved in students’ school work.

“Everyone from our superintendent down recognize the importance of parental involvement,” she said. “So we are encouraging all fathers, grandfathers, and other male caregivers to get involved with their children’s school from day one by taking them to school today.”

A Florida Department of Education study found a positive correlation between family involvement and a student’s academic success. Further research also found that when fathers are actively involved in their child’s education, the student earn better grades, score higher on tests, enjoy school, has fewer discipline problems and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college.

“Many of our students come from homes, where they do not have fathers as male role models,” said Cameron Simmons, the ESE coordinator at Carver Middle School and organizer of the 100 Men Welcome Back, which is in its second year. “It is so important that all children have a positive male role model who is doing something good for them, something they can relate to, to give them the idea that they are worthwhile, and education is worthwhile.” It is important to have community supporters to stand in the gap for those students who lack role models, especially on such an important day as the first day of school.”