By Lisa Baldwin
BATTLE MOUNTAIN - The Watch D.O.G.S. program held their annual kick-off event on Tuesday, Sept. 20, for the elementary schools. Students from Eliza Pierce, Mary S. Black (Battle Mountain Elementary Schools) and Eleanor Lemaire Elementary School (ELES) gathered, along with their dads, stepdads, grandfathers, uncles, brothers and other male role models at the Battle Mountain Civic Center to take part in a fun-filled event designed to help show everyone the importance of male role models in young children's lives. It is the goal of Watch D.O.G.S. coordinators to have a Watch D.O.G. in the Battle Mountain Elementary Schools and ELES every available day this school year.
Watch D.O.G.S. was started in 1998 by Jim Moore after a school shooting in Jonesborough, Ark. Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is the father involvement initiative of the National Center for Fathering that organizes fathers and father figures in order to provide positive male role models and to enhance school security. Today, there are more than 2,127 active programs in 40 states and New Zealand that participate in the Watch D.O.G.S. program.
Lander County was the first northern Nevada school district to adopt the Watch D.O.G.S. program. It was originally introduced by the Battle Mountain PTA in October 2009 after then-PTA President Krissi Tucker and then-PTA treasurer Wendy Naveran attended a breakout session at a PTA conference. The two brought back the valuable information that helped get the Watch D.O.G.S. program up and running at the Battle Mountain Elementary Schools. The first Watch D.O.G.S. meeting was held at Battle Mountain Junior High School on Sept. 23, 2009. They had such a fantastic turnout, with over 280 dads showing up to enjoy a night of pizza with their kids, that it encouraged other local schools to look into getting the program going at their schools.
Tucker now acts as the Battle Mountain Watch D.O.G.S. coordinator and school representative for the Battle Mountain Elementary Schools. She said that it became obvious to her during her many years working and volunteering at the various schools how important it is that children have the presence of a positive male role model in their lives and getting more males involved with the school system. She went on to say that the purpose of the program is not to make moms or grandmothers feel as though they are being excluded from taking part in these events.
"The last thing any of the program volunteers want is to make anyone feel unwelcome," she said. "In today's times, the males are the typical bread winners in most families, leaving the women to deal with taking care of the children, schooling and school projects.
"We simply are trying to stress that most of us already realize that moms take up a lot of the slack when it comes to dealing with the children on a daily basis. This is one opportunity for the dads to get in there and play an active role in their children's lives."
"It gives the children a chance to interact with their fathers or other male role models, allowing them to spend some real quality time alone with them in a one-on-one setting," Tucker said.
She added that the Battle Mountain PTA would like to thank all the moms, grandmothers, stepmoms, aunts and big sisters who have encouraged a positive man to bring a child to one of these events. Hopefully an event such as the Dad and Kids Pizza night or the yearly kick-off have given those special women a chance to take an hour to relax and unwind, knowing that their child or children are safe and being taken care of. Tucker went on to say that on behalf of the PTA, she was looking forward to thanking each and every one of those women during their special "Muffins with Moms" event set aside for the moms and kids in May.
Tucker also pointed out they will soon begin implementing the "Adopt a Dog" program. This is in response to the fact that there may be some children out there who just do not have a male figure in their lives that they can bring to one of these fantastic events. The PTA has had several men actually step up and say they would make themselves available to any student that might not otherwise be able to participate. Some lucky child's day will be made because of the generosity of these wonderful men. For more information about the "Adopt a Dog" program contact Krissi Tucker at 635-2889 or 635-5671.
Studies have shown time and time again how important it is for children to have the presence of a positive male role model in their lives. According to a recent survey conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 36.3 percent of children in America are living in homes without a father or father figure. 63 percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse. Children who live apart from their fathers are 4.3 times more likely to smoke cigarettes as teenagers than children growing up with fathers in their home. Children who live apart from their fathers are also more likely to get pregnant as teenagers than their peers who grow up with both parents in the home. 90 percent of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. Almost 75 percent of American children living in single-parent families will experience poverty before they turn 11 years old.
The United States Center for Disease Control estimates that 85 percent of all children that exhibit behavioral problems come from fatherless homes. 71 percent of all high school dropouts come from homes without fathers. Children in fatherless homes often have lower grade point averages, lower college aspirations and poor attendance records, compared to children with a father in the home, according to the National Principals Association on the State of High Schools.
The U.S. Dept. of Justice stated in a special report in 1988 that 70 percent of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes. 80 percent of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from homes without fathers. From the Fulton County, Ga., jail populations, Texas Dept. of Corrections 1992, 85 percent of all youth sitting in prisons grew up in fatherless homes.
It is estimated that well over 300 kids along with their dads, stepdads, grandpas, uncles and big brothers attended the Sept. 20 meeting. Scott Malone's Battle Mountain High School Building Trades class also helped set up tables and chairs prior to the event taking place.
Members of the Battle Mountain High School Sober Seniors and Honor Society volunteered to help with the set up and clean up and serve food and drinks to those in attendance. PTA officers, families, Lander County School District staff members and community members also helped make the evening run smoothly by helping out wherever they were needed.
Rich Ripley of the Owl Club provided food for the get together: delicious nachos with cheese, meat, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos, as well as bottled water and cookies. Prizes for the many raffle ticket drawings and door prizes were donated by various businesses.
The key speaker for the event was Brian Bard. Bard is a husband, a father of four young boys and an active Watch D.O.G. member, as well as being named the 2010 Nevada State PTA Parent of the Year. He spoke to those gathered about how hard the local teachers work each day to provide every child with a good, quality education. He also told about how the kids benefit when the men come into the schools as Watch D.O.G.S. Bard went on to tell about several of his own positive encounters with the many children he interacts with while at the schools.
Thursday, Sept. 22, was the official launch event of the Battle Mountain Junior High Watch D.O.G.S. program. Information was presented to a small but attentive and committed crowd of dads and kids. The majority of the fathers in attendance actually signed up on the Watch D.O.G.S. calendar that night. The Junior High Watch D.O.G.S. program encourages fathers and father figures to continue being active with their children during some of the most transitional and impressionable years of their lives. Spending just one day a year being a positive male role presence for not only your children but others in the school can make a huge difference.
Tucker shared some of her own personal experiences as a teenager with the group. She told how due to a huge misunderstanding between her and her own dad, they each stepped back from the other and allowed a large gap to develop in their relationship. Each thought the other wanted more personal space and in trying to respect those wishes, they lost a great deal of valuable time together. Luckily they were able to discuss the matter years later and make amends, but Tucker said it helped her realize just how important having a positive male presence is in the life of every young child. She went on to say how thankful she is to be part of a community that still believes it takes a village to raise a child.
Tucker acknowledged how it may sometimes appear as though the teen might be backing away from the parents; this is indeed a time when the parental guidance is needed the most. Teens experience so many different types of pressure and stressful issues that parents just don't understand. Just being there for your kids and letting them know that you are there to lend an ear or shoulder can make all the difference in your teenager's life.
Battle Mountain Junior High School Principal Michelle Caramella spoke briefly, giving a short rundown of her educational and personal history. She said she had 25-plus years in the education field. She came to Battle Mountain from Ely when she applied for and was given the position of principal for Battle Mountain Junior High. She replaced former Principal John Moddrell, who moved to Washington state to care for his elderly mother at the end of the last school year.
Caramella's husband is a middle school math teacher in Ely. She said that she had a wide variety of ideas to make the junior high more appealing to not only students but their families as well, such as playing music in the hallways. She went on to say how pleased she was with the initial Watch D.O.G.S. meeting held at the school and that she was looking forward to helping the program expand its membership base.
The Honor Society and Sober Seniors once again helped out by serving nachos and water to the fathers and kids that attended the Battle Mountain Junior High School Watch D.O.G.S. kick-off event.
After thanking everyone for attending the launch meeting, Tucker ended the evening with this, "I think that is one of the main reasons the Watch D.O.G.S. program has been so well received and successful here in Battle Mountain. This little town is all about the kids and it doesn't matter if they are yours or mine. They are the children of our community and that makes them ours - a shared blessing and responsibility. Battle Mountain is very unique in a very positive way when it comes to kids and my husband and I couldn't imagine raising our boys anywhere else for that reason."
The Battle Mountain Watch D.O.G.S. program is fortunate to have some very dedicated and loyal volunteers that keep the program running smoothly. In addition to Tucker, Lety Caro is the Eleanor Lemaire Elementary School representative and can be reached at 635-8114.
Battle Mountain Junior High School has Heather Francom as their representative. She can be reached at 635-2415.
For more information about becoming a Watch D.O.G. contact one of the school representatives or inquire at your child's school.
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