Carson and Cam struggled with behavioral challenges that often kept them out of class at Bellshire Elementary and caused them to struggle academically. The site coordinator at Bellshire, Mr. Gibson, noticed this pattern and recruited them onto his caseload. He helped them enroll in Rites of Passage, a program that teaches male students how to shift their negative behaviors to become leaders in their communities and put into place attendance incentives to help motivate them to want to be at school and in their classroom learning.
Just a few months later, “I’ve seen so much improvement," Mr. Gibson says. "I never hear their names involved in negative situations. I’m very proud of them and who they are becoming!” Both boys recently took on leadership roles at the first "Donuts With Dudes" meeting, a new mentoring program at Bellshire.