The Watson Chapel High School Wildcat Society Gentlemen’s Club visited Coleman Elementary School on March 6 to encourage students to embrace the values of respect, leadership and academic excellence.
The effort was led by adult leader Keith Crockett and supported by the Pastors on Patrol Mentoring Movement, according to a news release.
During the visit, the Wildcat Society Gentlemen’s Club members spoke with Coleman Elementary students about what it means to be a young gentleman, focusing on character, behavior, and responsibility in school and in the community.
“The Wildcat Society Gentlemen’s Club is learning about community service and developing its communication and public speaking skills, which are goals of the program,” said the Rev. Jesse C. Turner, president of Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration (PBICVR) Pastors on Patrol Faith-based Mentoring Movement.
“They also shared some fun things with the scholars, such as Black History, and performed the gentlemen’s signature dance moves. Pastors on Patrol, the Rev. James Hill Jr., encouraged scholars to stay focused, be respectful, and earn good grades,” Turner said.
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The visit to the school grew out of a previous community event. During the PBICVR MLK Birthday Bash in January, Coleman Principal Reginald Forte invited the Gentlemen’s Club to return and speak to his students.
“The return visit made for a great day at C.P. Coleman Elementary School, filled with mentorship, encouragement, and positive role modeling,” according to the release.
The Watson Chapel High School Wildcat Society Gentlemen’s Club has been actively engaged in service and leadership activities across the Pine Bluff community.
The club has hosted Third Ward Councilman William Fells III, welcomed Circuit Judge Jackie Harris, engaged with Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr., co-sponsored the Pastors on Patrol/Voices of Black Mothers United All-School Gun Violence Prevention Program and visited Edgewood Elementary School to read to scholars.
PBICVR Pastors on Patrol sponsors the Gentlemen’s Club as part of its mission to “build leaders one scholar at a time.”
The club currently has approximately 40 active members and a waiting list of about 30 young men.
Continuing its commitment to exposure and mentorship, the club will next welcome Jordan Sims, a Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion commissioner and founder of “Critical Purpose.”
Sims is scheduled to visit the students March 19 to further encourage them in purpose-driven leadership and community engagement.