By Vanessa Butts | Lanier High School Counselor Bobby Gueh has taken a winning recipe for mentorship at other schools, and implemented it on a larger scale at Lanier High School. Gueh asserts that, “…the Distinguished Gentlemen program was designed to provide mentorship, academic support, and social development for young men who have been identified as being at-risk. The majority of students in this program come from a low socio-economic status home and have challenges both academically and socially. Currently, an extension of the program has been created at various Gwinnett County Public Schools, and we have now birthed the Distinguished Gentlemen (D.G.) of Lanier High School.”
Distinguished Gentlemen gather. Click to make the image larger.
Lanier High Principal Dr. Reuben Gresham, echoes these sentiments stating: “Studies have proven that students who feel connected to a peer group and/or staff member in their school will significantly increase their academic and social/emotional growth. Therefore, it is our responsibility to provide research-based resources to students that will overall present more opportunities to support their success. Who would we be as educational leaders if we did not offer these resources knowing there is a concern nationwide?”
The group’s mentors are a collection of teachers and community leaders who are eager to leave a positive mark on these young men. The group also has a mentor representative from the City of Sugar Hill. Economic Development Director Scott Andrews states that “The D.G. program deserves a great deal of praise for its structure and emphasis placed on the role of the young men in the community as a whole. These young men are developing an awareness of themselves, and the larger community, while building a strong brotherhood with each other. Watching the young men blossom has been a real joy.”
The vision of the Distinguished Gentlemen Mentor Program is to produce world class males who will be prepared to build and lead successful families, communities and professions as positive citizens in society. The program leaders provide training to mentors so they can help their student mentee build self-esteem, communicate with adults, develop leadership skills, and set goals. Furthermore, the aim is to expose the young men to cultural enrichment in and around the community; from college tours, to Broadway plays, and historical museums and sites.
Individuals from outside the school can make a difference by being a mentor, by speaking at one of our functions, providing access to your business and products, or by making a financial contribution to support the program’s activities. The team at Lanier High welcomes the opportunity to meet with members of the community to discuss further how they can make a difference in the community, and in the lives of these young men.
- For more information, questions and comments, contact Bobby Gueh at 678-765-4062.
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