MEN REACH OUT TO HOKE STUDENTS

RAEFORD -- Allen Graham was walking down a back path at Hoke High School
when the scent of marijuana hit him. Graham turned to see a boy standing in
a shadowy doorway. The boy turned his back once he saw the man in the shirt
and tie looking at him.

Graham called the boy out of the doorway, shook his hand and introduced
himself. A quiet conversation followed.

The boy never admitted to having the marijuana, but he listened to Graham
for a minute before walking away embarrassed.

"If you're up front with them, most of them will talk to you,'' Graham
said. "It's all in your approach. If you're calm, they'll usually
communicate back to you."

Graham is part of Means of Excellence, a group of black professional men
that visits schools in Hoke County to talk to students and to patrol school
grounds.

The Rev. Ray Owens started the group last year to provide role models for
youngsters in Hoke County. The group has grown from a handful of members to
78 in one year.

Owens, who is pastor of Freedom Chapel AME Zion Church in Raeford, has
recruited most of the members at a local barber shop.

"We want to try to eliminate the flood of negativity that's in our
schools,'' Owens said. "We consider this like an army; we target certain
schools and certain elements."

Men in the group are barbers, lawyers, bishops, dentists, county
commissioners, ministers and counselors. They dress their best and visit
one school each month.

Group member Ronald Flippin said dressing up gets the attention of the
students.

"I think this works because of our approach,'' he said. "It's the
professional attitude we have."

Most times, the men target classrooms with unruly students or with
substitute teachers. The simple presence of these men is what matters most,
school officials said.

"It's their professional image,'' said Donna Kennedy, principal at Hoke
High School. "Regardless of what they do, they take a lot of pride in
themselves, and it's a way to show the kids they can take pride in themselves."

About 10 members of Means of Excellence visited the high school recently.
Most interactions between the men and the students weren't as pointed as
Graham's words with the alleged marijuana smoker.

Most times, it was just a "Hello, how are you?" as students did class work
or passed in the hall. Maybe a word of advice -- "Stay focused" or "Hang in
there."

Owens addressed a Spanish class, telling students about the group and why
the men have made the trip.

"We've come to your classrooms to see how you're all doing and to be there
for you," he said. "We will notice every one of you and see what you all do."

Reactions from students ranged from nervous giggles to questions.

"What are you, a teacher?" one student asked member Frederick Wilson.

"No, I'm a barber,'' Wilson said, making his way around a classroom.

Teachers at Hoke High said community involvement helps students'
motivation. Ester Hollingsworth-Shaw, a math teacher, said many of the
students know the men from church and feel obligated to behave when they
see them.

"They know them from the community,'' she said. "And the kids straighten up
because these men know their parents."