A program called Dads of Great Students will soon start at Straub Elementary School.
Straub Elementary School Family Resource Coordinator Mary Robinson-Griffey said the program is about encouraging fathers and father figures to volunteer in the school system.
According to Robinson-Griffey, the program was created by a group of parents and educators in 1998 and is now used across the country.
“Studies by the US Department of Education have demonstrated that a positive adult male role model will have a uniquely positive impact on the development and educational success of a child, dramatically increasing the child’s likelihood of graduating and getting mostly A’s along the way, while decreasing the likelihood of that child living in poverty, getting involved with drugs or alcohol and avoiding potentially devastating choices that result in a criminal record or teen pregnancy,” she said.
Robinson-Griffey said the program benefits include students gaining a positive male role model, the school gains an extra set of eyes and ears, fathers and father figures can spend meaningful time with their students and the role models will gain better knowledge about partnering with the school to meet educational goals.
A kick off party for the program will be held at Straub Elementary School on Thursday, Sept. 5 from 6-7 p.m. Anyone interested in being a part of the program is invited to attend the kick off.
More information can be gained by calling 1-888-540-3647, emailing info@dadsofgreatstudents.com or visiting dadsofgreatstudents.com.
For information on the kick off party, contact Straub Elementary Principal Todd Watts at 606-564-9047.
