Mossy Creek Elementary School is looking for a few good men to adopt some turtles.
The school started a mentoring program this year intended to pair male community members with at-risk boys in the third, fourth and fifth grades.
The Adopt-A-Turtle program, named after the school mascot, is the brainchild of speech clinician Valencia Leslie and first grade teacher Suzanne Gunn.
"We want to help third, fourth and fifth grade boys have a positive role model in their lives that they may not have outside of a school setting," Gunn said.
She and Leslie asked teachers to recommend students that they thought could benefit from a mentor.
Each child's parents were asked for permission to place the child in the program. They now have a list of about 20 boys.
Then they began contacting community members from a variety of backgrounds from public safety officers to ministers to befriend the pupils.
As of Friday, eight men have committed to spend a minimum of an hour a week with a Mossy Creek "turtle," usually over lunch.
Lunch time provides a more comfortable social setting, Gunn said.
The pupils are typically from poor neighborhoods. Many of them have a lot on their minds from their home lives that hinder learning and they may not be willing to talk to teachers about it, Gunn said.
She and Leslie ask that mentors spend at least an hour a week with the children and encourage contact between them away from school.
They also recommend that mentors meet the child's parents.
Once each child on their list has been paired with a mentor, Leslie and Gunn will set up a drop-in meet and greet so that parents can meet mentors.
If this year's program is successful, Leslie and Gunn will begin a similar one for girls in the same age group next year.
To become a mentor, a man must fill out an application and meet Leslie or Gunn. They must also pass a South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division background check.
The meetings between mentors and children are intended to be low pressure and give the children an opportunity to meet one person they can depend on.
"It's supposed to be just a friendship," Gunn said.
Reach Lisa Kaylor at lisa.kaylor@northaugustatoday.com.
