North Point has many opportunities for students, from community service to cultural events, but a new program has been started to offer male students an opportunity to grow into well-rounded gentlemen. The program is the Young Men of Distinction and it was started by Mr. Moses and Mr. Lemon.
The program was created when Moses had talked to Lemon. “Students were saying how they wished they had someone to talk to,” said Moses. He approached Lemon to be his co-advisor for the program. “When I asked the guys who they trust and his name came up,” added Moses.
The goal of the program is to get everyone on the same page of understanding and developing respect of themselves, North Point and the community. The mission statement of the program is “To empower, encourage, instill positive values, embrace life lessons, focus on tomorrow, and share knowledge with others (peers).” The boys of the program have to know this mission statement inside and out. “They have to learn, memorize, and recite the mission statement at the drop of a hat,” said Moses.
Many of the boys in the program have already seen a change in their attitude. “The program affects my attitude towards life to make good decisions,” commented Wade Robinson (’12). The administration has even seen a positive change in the male students that are in the program. “The men that got in trouble before now think before they act,” said Mrs. McClarin. “They are respectful, courteous, and just great men all around,” added McClarin.
The group offers a safe haven for the boys. “We’re all about the trust factor,” said Moses. The discussions that the group has are kept inside the group. The program has made a great impact in many of the boys’ lives already and it is a fairly new group at North Point. “It [the program] has taught me to think before I act, watch what I say before I say it, and to have a positive attitude towards things,” commented Wade Robinson (’12).
The program offers the boys the chance to see things the way they are in real life. “They have to suffer the consequences for their actions, I won’t step in and make excuses for them,” said Moses. The program also offers new opportunities, such as volunteer experiences. Eight of the boys are volunteering for the Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast, which is held at school every year.
“It [the program] helps us get out lives on the right track,” said Rakim Stewart-Coltrane (’13). “We are looking at the positive side of things,” added Coltrane.