Shenandoah Offers Mentor Program

May 20, 2004 -  Two afternoons each week during the spring semester, some of Shenandoah's biggest, strongest and toughest student-athletes go to a local middle school to help some youngsters with their homework. In the process, the university students teach some valuable life lessons.

"I can't say enough about them," said program coordinator Anne Marie Eberhardt of the SU students.

Eleven Hornets football players are part of the mentoring program at Johnson-Williams Middle School in Berryville. Each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, the men spend two hours with about a dozen boys with teachers present.

This mentoring program began in 2001, under Hornets football coach Walter Barr's direction. Head Coach Paul Barnes believed in its value, too, and kept the program going. "These are good men," said Barnes of his players.

"They help the kids with their homework," said Eberhardt, "but they also talk about other things and serve as role models.

"The youngsters seem to connect with football players more," she said. "They can relate better to someone who is young and athletic. So when an athlete they admire says it's important to do well in school, it means something."

One mentor was even hired last year to teach summer school.

This year's mentors are J.J. Brown, Michael Collazos, Aaron Dixon-Proctor, Arthur Greene, Wayne Hogwood, Curtis Hunter, Rontay Jackson, Justin Mosser, Donnell Priest, Jim Rishmawi and Clive Williams.

 

 

 Story courtesy of Cathy Kuehner