CANTON ‒ A group of fourth-grade boys from Canton City Schools are on a journey to become the best they can be.
The journey will be long and challenging, but by the time these young people graduate from high school, they will have the skills they need to succeed and become leaders, no matter what path they take in life.
The Future 40, described by creator Terrance Jones as a leadership club, was founded this year when Jones asked school administrators to select 40 brown and black third-graders to participate in a project celebrating the district’s Black History Month.
The participants were selected based on their character and leadership qualities, not on their academic performance or behavior.
“It was gender and culturally specific,” said Jones, a graduate coach and workforce development coordinator. “These kids came together for a ‘we thing,’ not a ‘me thing.’”
During the celebration, the boys recited a mantra led by Superintendent Jeff Talbert. The kids pledged to work hard, work together, own their work, speak their truth and empower others.
“I am someone. … I will be the best version of myself. These are not just words. This is my declaration to myself and my community. Don’t give up on us. Push us. Prepare us. The best is yet to come.”
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“It was powerful. It was impactful,” Jones said. “To hear them say it so proudly and so innocently, to make a public commitment to what they want to do and are willing to do. That was the concept of the Future 40 from that point on.”
From that point on, Jones was determined to create a path to success for the children.
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Talbert took on the task of ensuring that he and other leaders delivered on their promise to teach students to reach their potential.
“I think the experiences and the opportunities they have to be successful are just as important as the literacy and numeracy skills they need to learn to write and calculate,” Talbert said.
Deidre Stokes Davis, the district’s human resources director, is helping develop the group.
It’s important to provide participants with core values of excellence and leadership skills and to help them build community, she said. They want to expose the kids to the success stories of students who walked the same hallways and lived in their neighborhoods.
“They realize I can be somebody. I can do that,” Stokes Davis said. “It’s great to see the kids pay attention.”
Last week, a retreat was held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first event the boys have come together since their Black History Month event.
It was an opportunity to come together and learn about leadership, to meet men of integrity and discover how they can make a positive contribution to the community, Stokes Davis said.
“Ultimately, we want them to become a success story and how connecting with that vision and mission can now lead to their success,” she added. “We want to intentionally expose these young boys to other parts of their community and give them hope to really live the mantra that they’ve been chanting.”
Hall of Famer Dan Fouts
During his visit to the Hall of Fame, Talbert went with the children to remind them why they were there.
“You have the opportunity to meet people and learn,” he told the children. “Here at the Hall of Fame, legends are honored and celebrated. Why are we here? So that we can give you the tools and the opportunities to learn things, so if you want to do what I do, or be a doctor, or a football player, or a lawyer, race cars, or fly airplanes — you can do it.”
In addition to a tour of the Hall of Fame, the students also met Hall of Famer Dan Fouts.
Fouts, a quarterback for the San Diego Chargers for 15 years, told the boys that the best thing he’s gotten out of the game is the lifelong friendships he’s made with his teammates.
“You need friends,” Fouts explained. “You need people you can count on and they can count on you. They’re going to be there for you and you’re going to be there for them when they need you.”
Fouts told the boys that they had to work hard in everything they did, which meant learning as much as they could.
As students face a new year, likely at a new school, Fouts said, things will be different. He reminded them to take a deep breath, look around and feel the room, then look for a familiar face.
“You have to be ready to be the best student you can be,” he said. “You have to be prepared and pay attention.”
In the future, Jones and Stokes Davis plan to provide students with mentorship and additional support inside and outside the classroom, as well as build leadership skills and pride in their community.
As they spend more time with students, they take a holistic approach, monitoring attendance and grades and meeting regularly with students, their families, teachers and the principal to provide individualized support that meets their specific needs.
“Our goal is to help them understand that their choices have consequences,” Jones said. “We want them to be able to hold themselves accountable in their studies, in sports or whatever they do.”
Contact Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
This article originally appeared on The Independent: Canton City Schools’ new Future 40 programs for boys
