Members of the Ministerial Council for the South Pike School District have joined together for one reason — to lend a helping hand to students, parents, even teachers.
Whether it’s mentoring or tutoring students, the council just wants to give students a leg up.The council, led by the Rev. Kenneth Handy, is based on a similiar group working with a Texas school.
The Rev. Xavier B. Hurst, vice president of the group and pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in McComb, said the council works primarily with students at the junior high and high school level, but members keep their eyes on elementary children, too.
Hurst and others, including his wife Leslie, work one-on-one with students whom school administrators believe will benefit from such focused help.
“We establish a rapport with them,” Rev. Hurst said, noting that it takes time for students to be comfortable enough to open up about what may be troubling them.
Hurst often asks about any problems at home, especially when the student comes from a one-parent household.
“You see how it’s affecting their behavior,” Hurst said. “I’m not trying to be a father. … But I do offer an alternative. We want them to know somebody cares about them.”
In cases where there is a family break-up, Hurst said the children often believe they’re part of the problem.
“Some of them may be dealing with guilt,” he said. “We explain, ‘This is where we are. … Your success depends on the choices you make.’ ”
Lay minister Lexie Elmore said being a mentor and part of the ministerial council has been a positive force for her and for students.
“(Administrators) I.D. the problem and meet with the council,” Elmore said.
Once matches between mentors and students are made, the work for volunteers is flexible. Males meet with the boys and females meet with girls, which Elmore said helps students open up about their troubles.
Elmore gave thumbs up to South Pike superintendent Dr. Bill Gunnell, program liaison Celester Hall, school principals and other administrators for embracing the ministerial council’s efforts.
Gunnell and others meet with the council every third Saturday for an hour at the Braswell Education building on Highway 48. Mentors and tutors give the administrators feedback and identify what’s working and what is not.
“Dr. Gunnell has been very supportive,” Elmore said. “They are very, very happy we got involved.”
Mentors and tutors receive training and learn character-building techniques to help students recognize their talents and to help them academically. The students also receive spiritual guidance.
When problems are beyond the scope of what the council can provide — depression, substance abuse, child abuse and bullying, for example — mentors make the proper referrals for intervention.
Hurst said he works to help students identify goals for themselves. Turning off the television and using TV time to do something productive is one way to start, he said.
Council members’ don’t take their relationships with students lightly. All mentors and tutors undergo a school district criminal background check, and all volunteers must sign confidentiality agreements.
The group welcomes volunteers and tutors, particularly math tutors. Anybody who wants to volunteer is invited to a training session at the South Pike High School library from 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday.
The council is looking for mentoring and tutoring volunteers at four local churches: Bethlehem Baptist from 5 to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; New Zion Baptist from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays; Sherman Baptist from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays; and Union Baptist from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.
For more information, call Hall at 783-0436.
