Leaders form group to teach character, integrity to boys at VHECH

There aren’t many men on staff at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, but the men who are there are focused on making a difference in the lives of the boys at the school, Assistant Principal Jason Bostic said.

It started with an idea from instructional aide Xavier Bryant to bring together fifth grade boys and have them meet with male leaders so they could learn about leadership, integrity and what it means to be a man.

“How can we help motivate them to be strong, young men?” said Bostic, one of the group members along with Bryant, custodians Orenzo Hardy and Wesley Smith, and school resource officer Andy Chapman.

Bostic said it’s important for the kids to know that their family situation doesn’t define them and that they can set their own destiny.

So, multiple times throughout the year, the staff has lunch with the boys in each fifth grade class, answers their questions and talks with them about an important character trait, such as integrity, Bostic said.

During the first meeting in December, the group talked about respect, and the boys were asked what it feels like to be respected or disrespected, Hardy said.

Bryant said he realized there was strength in numbers, leading to the boys meeting as a group, instead of individually. Meeting in a group also keeps one student from feeling isolated and allows students to talk openly and learn from each other, Hardy said.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Bryant said.

As an assistant principal, Bostic said when he meets with the boys, he isn’t coming as their assistant principal. The hat comes off, so the boys can be honest with him, he said.

“We lose the titles when we come in,” Bostic said. “I’m there to support them.”

The conversations about what it means to have character are important for the holistic development of the child, something on which the school tries to focus, Bostic said.

“It’s just extending on what we’re doing schoolwide,” he said.

Hardy said in his meetings with the boys, he has realized they are very intelligent and willing to learn and grow.

“It’s a good foundation,” he said.

Students learn that it’s “cool” to be respectful and nice, and adults are able to see when students need their help, Hardy said. It’s something that, over time, the students have gotten excited about and are living out on a daily basis.

“They ask when we are going to do it, how to be better,” Hardy said. “They’re holding each other accountable.”

Bostic said the boys also learn that character counts outside of school walls and that the community is watching them. The groups have been productive, even in just a few months, Hardy said. “It’s very rewarding in such a short time to see the impact on the boys.”

Bryant said he can already see a difference in behavior.

The groups will continue, and Bostic said there are plans to start meeting with boys in fourth grade classes as well.