Mentoring program works with schools to identify where students need to improve

Anita Diggles and student

The first thing you notice about the kids at the 21st Century Community Learning Center is that they pay attention - sure, they're chatting and giggling and having fun like any kids, but as soon as an adult speaks, they are attentive and respectful.

The Learning Center is a mentoring outreach held behind the Lighthouse Ministries on Cole Street in Jasper. They are open after school from 3:30-7:30 p.m.

Anita Diggles, director of youth services, said one reason for their success is that the kids want what the center offers.

"We interview them and their parents and sometimes their teachers," Diggles said. "But if the kids don't want what we offer, we don't take them."

If the kids miss more than three days without an excuse, they are wait-listed and could lose the opportunities the center provides.

Those opportunities include a fullyequipped lab with 12 computer stations and high-speed internet connection. They have a library, and a geography room for Indiana Jones adventures.

"The geography room is hand-on exploration. The kids think it's an adventure and don't realize it's disguised learning," Diggles said.

They have a game room, where the kids burn off energy for 45 minutes. They have multiple classrooms for various age levels. The little ones may work on shapes and numbers with crayons, while high school students look up career paths online.

The cafeteria/meeting room serves a substantial snack every day.

Funding comes from individuals, businesses, churches and grants from the Deep East Texas Foundation. Staff are mostly volunteers.

Librarian Leola Thompson retired after 30 years of teaching; substitute teacher Chinita Richards, retired teacher Janet Forward and Rowe teacher Mamie Aplon also volunteer. Rosie Diggles monitors the facility.

Several senior citizens volunteer to prepare food or work with the children, as a way to give back to the community and have something to do.

Ethel Parks, besides teaching pre-K classes, does frequent home visits.

"She knows so many of the parents," Diggles said, "She can go into the home and talk to parents about discipline and behavior."

Parents are also asked to sign a release so that the mentoring center has access to school records and test results.

Diggles said she has even attended school ARD meetings (Admission, Review, Dismissal) with parents to discuss the child's abilities and placement.

"Based on the progress one of our students made in the summer program, the school agreed to try him at a higher level," Diggles said.

The staff makes sure each student completes homework, and with that out of the way, they work on skills.

"We work with the schools to find out what they think the students need," Diggles said, "but we also conduct our own assessment." Then they work one-on-one to design a study plan that will challenge each student.

"We have sample questions from the tests and exits exams they need to pass, so we can see what areas to work on," Diggles said. "Some of our fifth and sixth grade girls seem to read good but their comprehension zero."

In public school, she explained, it's too easy for students to copy off each other and, while they may make the grade, they haven't acquired the skill. In small mentoring groups, the center can better identify the students' needs and work on specifics.

The center picks up students from Few and Parnell. Older students arrive by school bus, walk, or are dropped off by parents or friends when they finish afterschool sports. Four students come from as far as Kirbyville.

With about three dozen more from Jasper and an estimated capacity of 100, Diggles said they continue to accept students by referral from the schools and requests from parents.

They not only need more students, they need more of everything, according to Diggles.

"We need more volunteers, more supplies, more sponsors in the community," Diggles said. "We could use at least four more computers, but we aren't looking for someone's discards or downgrades. We have been fortunate that the community has supported our mentoring efforts and enabled us to have new computers,

good teachers, and a program

like this for our youths."