Brother to Brother program strengthens minority students

By GARY FRENCH 

Elizabethtown Independent Schools and Elizabethtown Community and Technical College would like to take this opportunity to recognize and applaud the efforts of our local Brother to Brother Academy.

The Academy has been in existence for five years and currently has 21 males enrolled, eight of whom are students from Elizabethtown Independent Schools.

The academy’s objective is to assist in closing the achievement gap for selected students, targeted but not limited to African American boys in sixth through 12th grades. The program is held from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at First Baptist Church’s Vaughn Reno Starks Community Center in Elizabethtown.

Five teachers volunteer their time and instructional expertise to work with these young men on mathematics, language arts and life skills.

The Brother to Brother mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of young men by providing them with culturally, spiritually and educationally based experiences. Partnering with schools, organizations and community groups, the academy also provides enrichment activities for the students.

New for 2013, Brother to Brother is partnering with ECTC, where it will continue to offer enhanced educational activities. This initiative opens the door for ECTC faculty and staff to share their expertise in areas of science, technology, engineering and math. ECTC President and CEO Dr. Thelma White is committed to engaging the college community in support of student achievement at all levels.

At the Fall 2012 ER Conference in Lexington — “Educating and Reaching African American Males in our Schools & Community,” hosted by the Black Males Working Academy and Fayette County Public School District — Brenda Skillman, founder and assistant director, was recognized for the accomplishments and efforts of the Elizabethtown Brother to Brother program. Elizabethtown Independent Schools also received a Catch the Vision Award at the conference for educating, motivating and activating the potential for excellence that lies in all students.

On March 25, Elizabethtown Independent Schools will host a Diversity Community Conference entitled “Believe and Achieve.” The program is at 6:30 p.m. at the State Theater in Elizabethtown. The program is open to all our parents, but it’s specially designed for African American parents, grandparents and middle and high school students. In an effort to assist with child care, a movie will be shown in the theatre for younger children.

Believe and Achieve Speakers include Monya Logan, former EIS student, “Resiliency – A Student Voice”; Emmett “Buzz” Burnham, director of recruitment, diversity initiatives at the University of Kentucky; Kesha Evans, chairwoman of the local Delta Sigma EMBODI program and partner with Brother to Brother; and Roz Akins, co-founder of the Black Males Working Academy in Lexington.

As educators, we believe in making a difference in student learning, regardless of a student’s racial or cultural background. Our standards and expectations are set high for all students and our objective is to deliver instruction in such a manner that every child experiences maximum academic achievement.

Believing that education is a student’s lifeline for a better tomorrow, Elizabethtown Independent Schools will continue its efforts to reach every parent, building positive and productive relationships that will enhance learning for all students.

Gary French is superintendent of Elizabethtown Independent Schools.