Fathers Help At Charter School

WATCH D.O.G.S. ESTABLISHED AT BENTON COUNTY SCHOOL OF ARTS

By Caleb Fort

Posted: November 23, 2009 at 4:09 a.m.

J.S. WEDGEWORTH
Delaney Reaves, 7, reads Friday to Chad Hicks, who is participating in Watch D.O.G.S. at the Benton County School of Arts in Rogers.

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ROGERS — Students at the Benton County School of Arts see a new set of faces at school and are likely safer as a result.

Students’ fathers are volunteering to come to school for Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students), a national program that got its start in Springdale.

Safety is one of the program’s goals, said Jane Cornell, counselor for the school.

Eric Snow, national director of Watch D.O.G.S., said the program was started in 1998 with security in mind. But the goal has evolved since then, he said.

“If you put a dad in the hallway or the classroom or the playground, discipline problems drop dramatically,” he said.

Jason Wilmoth, the father of a second-grader at the school, watched sidewalks between portable classrooms Wednesday morning to make sure students were behaving between classes.

Wilmoth said his wife volunteers at the school.

He thought the program would be a good way to get involved and see his daughter in school, he said.

Wilmoth will also read with students and maybe play with them during recess, he said.

Fourth-grader Emily Harris said she likes having the fathers at school.

She said she likes hearing their stories. One father spoke about his son’s experience with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she said.

Harris’ father is scheduled for a day at the school, she said.

“I’m really excited, because I really like my dad,” she said.

The prog ram spread from its Northwest Arkansas roots and is now in 1,375 schools in 36 states, Snow said.

Although the goal is to get men into schools, the program is often promoted by women, he said.

“It’s not just a fathering program, it’s a family program,” he said.

Jennifer Little, assistant principal for Bellview Elementary School in Rogers, said that school has had a Watch D.O.G.S. program for several years.

The fathers serve as positive male role models, she said. That’s important in elementary schools, which are predominantly staffed by women, she said.

Daniel Barrett said that’s one reason he decided to volunteer at the school, where his son, Sean Barrett, is in third grade.

“There’s a lot of kids out there that don’t have a father figure at home,” he said.

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