At the Men of Honor banquet honoring students and mentors in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, ties are an important symbol.
At the banquet, men need to wear a tie to eat dinner, and that includes the high school students who are members of Men of Honor. The organization hands out ties to anyone who needs one, and older men are on hand to instruct in the art of tying a tie.
The ties represent the professionalism that Men of Honor, a mentoring organization run on a volunteer basis by Ferguson-Florissant’s male staff members, hopes to impart to students.
The group is dedicated to helping male students meet its expectations, which include maintaining a 3.0 grade point average or better, good attendance at school, and participating in 40 hours of community service per year.
Tim Clark, assistant band director at McCluer-South Berkeley High School, is one of the group’s sponsors. Clark said this year’s theme for the group is “put it into action.” It’s based on Newton’s first law of motion, a principle of physics which states that an object at rest does not move unless acted upon.
That’s part of the group’s mission to help students take control of their lives and futures while still in high school, with help from adult male role models who provide positive examples. This is the second year of the program and its second banquet.
While Men of Honor is not officially affiliated with the school district – it’s run by teachers and staff members in their spare time – it does have the support of many administrators.
Superintendent Joseph Davis, who attended the event, said the group has been an important presence in the lives of the students involved. Davis said it is essential to offer positive models for young men.
“There’s nothing more important in this time in our country and our history than to make sure, for all young men, that we provide them good, clear focus for what their future’s going to look like,” Davis said.
Over the past year, Men of Honor has hosted events for students including canoeing and hiking trips, a fall retreat and a community bonfire. The Men of Honor banquet recognizes the achievements of the year, but it’s also an opportunity for students to learn more about post-high school career opportunities. Employers from the St. Louis area attended the event to give students an opportunity to network.
Clark also said the group hopes to start visiting members at their homes so they can involve their families in the mentoring process, and encouraged parents to get involved by attending Men of Honor events.
Elgin Carnes, who teaches a pre-engineering program at McCluer-South Berkeley, said an important part of the Men of Honor program is teaching students to be prepared for whatever life they want away high school.
“We want to make sure that they’re not only college-ready but career-ready,” Carnes said. “We want them to be ready either way.”
At the banquet, Men of Honor presented a plaque to district career tech coordinator Jay Boleach, who is retiring this year, thanking him for his work with the program. Boleach said his message to the Men of Honor students is that there are plenty of careers available to individuals with the right skills.
“There are plenty of opportunities out there, young men,” Boleach said. “The skilled tradespeople are screaming for people. You can get make a good living, honest work, raise a family.”
Carnes said it is important for today’s young people to take advantage of the opportunities available to them, and Men of Honor tries to help them see what is available and work towards it while they are still students.
“Don’t wait until 11:59 and decide, ‘Oh, now I’m gonna make a change,’” Carnes said. “You’re competing in a global marketplace. You’re not just competing with the guy next to you, you’re competing with the entire world.”
