JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One local high school on Jacksonville’s Westside is using mentors to keep kids on the right path and out of trouble.
The 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program helps empower students to make good choices and stay out of trouble.
This program isn’t new to Duval County Public Schools but it’s in its first year at Ed White High School and so far about 20 students are enrolled in the program.
Action News Jax’s Alicia Tarancon met up with up with 16-year-old Jonas Jean-François.
He is studying hard, keeping his grades up, and working towards his future.
The Ed White High School student told Tarancon he’s staying on the right path thanks to his hardworking mentors.
“I try to stay out of trouble and Mr. Pitman and Mr. Simmons help me stay out of trouble even more,” Jean-François said.
Roughly 81% of the students at Ed White High School are minorities and the program provides positive role models to young male minorities.
Right now, these teens are learning how to respect their teachers and peers, keep up their academics and how to prepare and dress for the job they want.
It’s these qualities one of the program’s mentors is hoping his students pass on to others.
“Build a brotherhood, each one, reach one and teacher one. Our role models right now as they get older and become juniors and seniors they will be able to be the ones that’s teaching,” Phillip Simmons, 5000 Role Model Program mentor and Community Partnership School Director at Ed White High School, said.
Jean-François says he realizes now how important it is to have a strong male role model in his life.
“You might not think it because you don’t have it at the moment, but once you do have one. They’re held at a very high importance,” he said.
And Jean-François is aiming high.
The young man told Action News Jax he wants to get three degrees and eventually attend an ivy league school.
Right now his heart set is on Yale University.
Simmons told Tarancon the school is always looking for positive role models and if someone in the community wants to get involved and be a mentor they can reach out directly to Ed White High School.
Cox Media Group
