As long as the FutureForce program is administered with saving children in mind, it'll give the children an alternative to gangs or choosing a wayward life. The program teaches the lessons parents would teach in a stable family atmosphere.
Caivaun Brown said he would likely be in jail today if a new program at Glenn Hills High School hadn't set him straight.
The 15-year-old sophomore got into trouble for obstructing a law enforcement officer earlier in the year, but Assistant Principal Ron Middleton interceded and steered him toward FutureForce, a Communities in School program at the school.
"My character has changed a lot," Caivaun said after Thursday's graduation of the first students in the program. "I was mean, rude, not the kind of person you wanted to be around."
Rather than suspending students for minor infractions, Mr. Middleton sends them to participate in the program designed to instill leadership skills and set youngsters on the right path.
"These students have actually changed," he said, noting their character has improved and they are better prepared for life.
Coordinator Andrena Meyers said the program was launched as a way to curb the number of students who drop out at the school.
"If you find ways to keep them in school, they will find ways to be more productive," she said.
FutureForce teaches students that there are other avenues to resolving conflicts and dealing with anger, Mrs. Meyers said.
Speaking to the graduating class, school board Vice President Joe Scott urged the Glenn Hills students to rise above their particular situations and to be successful.
Many of their classmates are no longer with them because they were pushed out, dropped out, are in jail or are dead, he said.
"My mother died when I was 2. My father left me when I was 2," Mr. Scott said. "I could have had any excuse to fail and not be anything and blame it on somebody else.
"You can't let people tell you what you're going to be and be it. They defeat you."
Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
As long as the FutureForce program is administered with saving children in mind, it'll give the children an alternative to gangs or choosing a wayward life. The program teaches the lessons parents would teach in a stable family atmosphere.
It's not necessarily true that all of these kids come from unstable homes. I know of plenty of kids with both parents in the home and one or both of the parents are working. Some kids just decide to follow what they see. Now I do agree that some of the homes are "unconventional" where kids are being raised by a single parent or maybe a family member that is not a biological parent, but that doesn't mean that morals are not being taught. I was raised by a single mom, but that made me respect the struggle just that much more. I made a decision to be responsible for myself and not let anyone else determine my future. I applaud the administrators for choosing this method and I hope that it is launched in all the area high schools including Columbia County.
What a wonderful plan versus suspension.....I have always wondered what administrators felt they were teaching children by suspending them from school. This is great......good job Glenn Hills High!!
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