Students at Prince Charles School are benefiting from the Partnerships Assisting Local Schools program, initiated to help children become productive adults by using mentoring as a tool to develop educational and social skills. The program has produced positive results at the school.
Mentoring program provides building blocks to success
Sandra Davis
Published Friday January 5th, 2007
Appeared on page C1
Editor's Note: What follows is the second in a series of six articles reporting on a local initiative that uses mentoring as a tool to tackle poverty and illiteracy in Saint John.
For those who haven't heard about the good work volunteers associated with the Partnerships Assisting Local Schools (PALS) program are doing at Prince Charles School, read these teasers:
Since PALS' inception six years ago, 50 per cent more alumni of the Union Street school are graduating from high school.
Families that, in the past, would never have dreamed of sending their children to this inner-city school are instead, singing its praises.
And on the social front, vandalism at the mall next door has all but disappeared.
Not bad - not bad at all.
Prince Charles is the flagship for PALS, and is the template for how schools and corporations can team up and help pave the way for children to become productive adults.
Since 140 employees from J.D. Irving, Limited employees teamed up with the kindergarten to Grade 8 school six years ago, more students are finishing their education, says principal Don Britten, who has been tracking the progress of his former students during their high school years.
A half dozen years ago, only 40 per cent of Prince Charles students were graduating from high school; today, that has increased to 60 per cent.
On top of that, says vice-principal Lynn Rector, over the past two years, three or four families in the neighbourhood that would normally not have considered sending their children to what once was perceived as a tough, have-not school have decided it's the right place for them after all.
"It's made it a more homogeneous mix," says Rector.
Prince Charles serves the city centre where up to 48 per cent of families are poor, according to Statistics Canada. Of the school's 200 students, 60 to 80 show up for a free breakfast that's served every day to any student who wants it, no questions asked.
"They enjoy their breakfast here. They're looking for that contact with the volunteers who send them off to the morning to their classes, happy and just feeling good about their day," says Rector. "They come to the office looking for their mentors. They just light up when they see them. They put a dance in their step and away they go."
Before J.D. Irving, Limited joined forces with the school, there was a mere handful of volunteers helping out, said Rector. "There were four from the church (Calvary Temple) who came to do breakfast a couple mornings a week and that would have been it," she said.
"Today, there are people in and out all the time, reading with children," she says. "You notice the difference in their literacy and math skills."
Every week, nearly 40 children take advantage of one-on-one sessions with reading tutors.
"Gradually, literacy skills have improved and children are willing to work at it," said Rector. "Before, they'd just say 'it's too hard.' We now have children who are trying and persevering. Students who were planning not to finish school are going on and planning to finish school. That's a real difference. Children are talking in terms of 'when I finish school,' instead of 'if I finish school.' "
Rector doesn't have specific numbers but says that, during provincial testing, more students are falling within the 'appropriate' range for their literacy skills.
"It isn't that it's not still an area that needs growth, but before we probably never would have had any 'strong' performance, and now we will have a few 'strong' performance, more in the 'appropriate' development area and fewer with 'need improvement', " she said.
J.D. Irving volunteers help with the 40-member Chess Club and with cooking and serving breakfast, as well as preparing learning materials, coaching, helping to publish the school newspaper, PCS Flash and teach children how to knit. They man the library, provide work-placement opportunities at JDI, help out on ski trips, take tours to the Irving Nature Park and lend a hand with the float in the Christmas parade.
Lunch is also served to the children every day at school. It's free one day a week and the cost is under $2 on other days. Students who can't afford the small fee have other options nearby, like the Saint John Boys and Girls Club whose volunteers feed hungry children lunch daily.
On a winter's day, J.D. Irving volunteer Shawna Fenton and nine-year-old Mikayla Brookins read a book together, volunteers Bonnie Taylor and Patti Stevens create Christmas cards with Kelly Earle, 10, and Michaela Burge, 9.
At the same time, JDI's Marilyn Hebert is arriving to spend some time with a couple of youngsters just to talk, or maybe colour or draw. Her mission is help make the girls, who are 10 and 11, feel good about themselves.
The relationship is teaching the children to give back, too.
Art students painted Christmas designs on the JDI
windows, and members of the school's Leadership Committee unloaded trucks at the Community Food Basket and stocked the shelves of the Charlotte Street operation. Some even opt to work around the school during their summer vacation.
Prince Edward Square is also benefiting from the partnership, says mall manager Stan Baird, whose sons attended Prince Charles and are the family's fourth generation to settle in the community.
"I know the neighbourhood," says Baird. "I knew the problems of the past and I don't see that today. I see boys and girls planting flowers, I see them picking up garbage during recess and playing properly. We have no problems whatsoever with graffiti or vandalism from the students of Prince Charles. We used to..."
Before PALS, the school had a hard time forming a school/parent advisory committee, says Bev MacDonald, education director for District 8. Today, the school has a fully functioning group of parents helping support the school.
"By seeing the mentors come and go and seeing the type of things they do, the whole atmosphere has changed," says MacDonald. "Prince Charles is now, truly, a community school. The children, the families, the teachers and the community at large are involved in supporting the growth and education of all of these children."
MacDonald recalls the day she was approached by J. K. Irving about PALS, an initiative of the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative (BCAPI) to help poor children succeed in school. The hope is that, by providing positive role models and additional resources, attitudes will change and the poverty cycle will be broken.
Because JDI's head office is a stone's throw from the school, employees saw the need as they passed by every day. The fit was a natural one.
"They said, 'we're right here in their backyard and we want to do something at Prince Charles School. Can you help us?' " MacDonald recalls that first meeting.
Today, the partnerships that have been formed go well beyond mentoring, says MacDonald.
"These people are feeding kids. They do clothing drives in their corporations. They coach, they sit down and read with children, or just be their friend."
Tomorrow: Reports on what's happening with the Partnerships Assisting Local Schools program at three other city schools.
25 comments:
Honestly, have you heard anyone say they sent a letter about this that was unpublished?
Don't have to prove anything!!! These are facts!!!!!
The Irvings will not print critical letters of the Irving Empire.
This was told to me by Peter Haggart < Is this how you spell his name? > years ago.
We truly live in a Hogan's Heroes world!
New Brunswickers continue to live in a world that Billionaires are trying to brainwash the public via their newspaper.
Take a close look what happened to my trial in Saint John?
I rest my case!!!!
I am somewhat confused. This report says the school has 200 students. Yet the Department of Education annual report lists the student population as only 68 last year, 53 the year before, and 47 the year before that. It seems odd that in one year the school population grew over 1000%. What am I missing?
The issue missing ingredient here is that Irving is never shy about tooting Irving's horn. So why have we never heard of this before? It's interesting that this program doesn't even have a website that can be found.
If a result has been a 20% increase in high school graduates from this school, if the Department of Education is correct (and I believe them before I do Irving), then in a school with 45 kids, a 20% increase is only 4 more kids. That's hardly statistically significant, and certainly can't be pointed to the 'program' as being the result.
However, whether it IS the result is a good question. If this is true, then the program must be at least four years old, longer to have accurate statistical data. Yet the paper doesn't say how long the program has been going on.
If Irving wanted to help these people, then they should pay their taxes so that the city can afford decent education for inner city kids.
And work co-op programs for middle school kids? Gee,child labour anyone? Irving is clearly just training kids for their new government sponsored growth. If they want work co-ops, how about having it for the PARENTS, you know, the ones who are actually poor!
It would be interesting to see just what kind of 'suggestions' go to these Irving employees. Do they get paid off time to go spend it with these kids? What are employees doing in schools during working hours?
Again, much more than a breakfast would be available if Irving PAID THEIR TAXES. As for volunteering, that's great, but don't take credit for the work your employees are doing.
This is extremely creepy, Irving basically keeps an area impoverished, then gives a few scraps out to seem like benevolent overlords.
300% increase...
Charles, you were told something years ago, that might have hcanges, and haven't had anyone test it?
Facts are facts. But your statements aren't.
OK, 300%, anybody out there actually believe that a school with usually a 10-15% increase suddenly has a 300% one?
However, let's test that theory and send one to the Telegraph, we'll 'proof' it here for readers then get Charles to send it.
To the Editor:
I read with interest your serial report on the PALS program at Saint James School. Any good news from inner city schools should be welcomed, however, in this case it leaves much to be desired.
In your report there are many glaring inconsistencies. The Department of Education yearly report shows last years student population at 68, yet in your report you maintain there are 200. While this is the first that most people have heard of this program, you maintain that its main accomplishment has been a 20% decrease in high school dropouts from previous Prince Charles students.
Going by the education department's numbers, this is only 4 students, which is not statistically significant enough to be attributable to this program. Likewise, the program would have to be in effect for four years or more to have any impact whatsoever, yet your report does not state how long its been in effect.
While it is nice that Irving is either giving employees time off to volunteer, or else making this part of their workday, in reality, more volunteers and teachers would be possible if Irving would only pay their fair share of taxes, specifically the LNG terminal property tax saving.
To the non-irving employee this sounds suspiciously like brainwashing young minds. It would be one thing if Irving weren't among the reasons why more teachers cannot be hired, however, as they are part of the problem, it seems overly generous to be attributing to them the position of saviours of public education.
The volunteers are to be commended, while their owners could do far more for poverty in the community by hiring more staff (in Maine's LNG terminal they will be hiring ten times the number of staff and contributing double the taxation).
Sincerely, Charles Leblanc
Charlie you know better than anyone how much the irvings like to too their own horn.
ere they are doing a six part series on how great they are to our schools and yet they own the media and there was not a single mention of the story you had on your site some months ago which I might add had some great fotos as well on the accident right on the corner of the school of which they brag their so heavily involved with and for all intents and purposes was nothing less than a miricle that no students were injured or killed considering school was just getting out.
Just thought I'd point that oner out for these so called great saviours of our communities.
If anonynous took as much time looking at a few department of education web sitesites or even the schools own website (http://princecharles.nbed.nb.ca)as they seem to take in typing long winded letters they night actually find that indeed they don't really know what their talking about. But having correct facts probably matters little to you anyway. It might interfere with your self-rightious indignaton when dealing with anything Irving. I truly hope they do print your factless letter. Its just more proof that our education system has failed us
Nice try, but you ll notice I mention an inconsistency, not a "fact". I don't live in Saint John so don't know, but here's the website ALSO from the department of education, so people know this isn't stuff made up:
http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications
/polplan/Dropout2004-2005.pdf
Page number 17 and school number 2039. The annual reports are available here:
http://www.gnb.ca/0000/pub-e.asp
If there are allegations that are 'factless', then by all means point them out.
I wrote 500 letters to the editor and may asked me who weote the letter for me?
I don't plan to start sending letters to the Irving papers that I didn't write.
The Irvings have been in the school system for years and this is just a way to brainwash our kids the Irving's way.
If someone wish to send that letter under their name?
The Irvings runs the Community College in Saint John.
Someone should go inside and take pictures of all the Irving's bulletins on the walls.
These Irvings soldiers are walking the hallways all the time praising the Irving way!!!!
This is the reason the Irvings have ordered no critical letters will be printed in the papers.
Go ahead.....
You've written 500 letters and you can't figure out why they don't want to hear from you anymore?
Think about it. After editing 500 factually flawed, grammatically challenged letters, wouldn't you want a break?
Anonymous7:17, If you can't even get the number of students in the school correct (easily confirmed to be 195 or for the sake of rounding off 200) the rest of your so called "facts" are meaningless. To compound it further by not admitting you are wrong only serves to hi-light your lack of credibility on the subject. Suggesting Charles take responsibility for your poorly thought out arguments would just be wrong. You owe him an apology at the very least or even better, why not send it to the paper yourself. As to the suggestion my response was a "nice try" please, you give me too much credit. It was hardly that. There is little need to "try" at all when a letter such as yours is so obviously flawed.
Now that's not a nice try at all. The idea that you disagree with one sentence, even though I never said it was fact but posted the footnote from where I got the number from is just being tactless.
To say that 'because I disagree with that one sentence means the rest is not worth replying to' is of course simply a way of saying that you are simply slandering the arguments that you disagree with.
As for apologizing to Charles for essentially doing his work for him I have no intention of doing that. I edited a letter for him before that essentially was a rewrite and left it to him to change anything he doesn't like. Since his argument is primarily that HIS letters don't get printed, then it would make sense that to test that 'theory' the letter would have to come from him.
If he won't send it, I'll do so myself, but if they print it then it's certainly false that they won't print critical letters.
Once again, for anybody interested in facts, they can look at the above website. The student enrollment is listed at 64, with 1 dropout.
If you want to debate, do so, otherwise, grow up.
Here is the letter, part two. After doing my critic's above work for him, I noticed that the discrepancy could well be that the student number listed at the dept. of education dropout sheet must only contain the grades 7&8. So, it has been redone to omit that error (see, some of us can admit when we're 'wrong'-though again, I didn't actually make any statements about the population, but since people love to fixate on minor details so they can discount entire arguments I might as well change it up front.)
For Charles, I'm going to assume this is reasonably 'critical', therefore if they DO print it, then the allegations that they don't print critical letters needs to be modified. However, that has nothing to do with the issue at hand-which is media concentration and in this case, 'brainwashing'.
To the Editor:
I read with interest your serial report on the PALS program at Saint James School. Any good news from inner city schools should be welcomed, however, in this case it leaves much to be desired.
While it is nice that Irving is either giving employees time off to volunteer, or else making this part of their workday, in reality, more volunteers, teachers, and money would be available if Irving would only pay their fair share of taxes, specifically the LNG terminal property tax saving.
To the non-irving employee this sounds suspiciously like brainwashing young minds. It would be one thing if Irving weren't among the reasons why more teachers cannot be hired, however, as they are part of the problem, it seems overly generous to be attributing to them the position of saviours of public education.
One wonders how much such extensive Irving involvement affects curriculae. Are children being adequately taught about air pollution, media concentration, environmental diversity, or any of the other numerous areas where Irving has a vested interest?
The volunteers are to be commended, while their owners could do far more for poverty in the community by hiring more staff (Maine's LNG terminal will be hiring ten times the number of staff and contributing double the taxation).
Hey, here's the final final copy that has been sent, so Charles and any others can keep an eye on the telegraph and see if they indeed print critical letters or not. Of course even if they do it would be far more preferable if they actualy had the criticisms in the article, not buried in the paper where few read them.
To the Editor:
I read with interest your serial report on the PALS program at Saint James School. Any good news from inner city schools should be welcomed, however, in this case it leaves much to be desired.
While it is nice that Irving is either giving employees time off to volunteer, or else making this part of their workday, in reality, more volunteers, teachers, and money would be available if Irving would only pay their fair share of taxes, specifically the LNG terminal property tax saving.
To the non-irving employee this sounds suspiciously like brainwashing young minds. It would be one thing if Irving weren't among the reasons why more teachers cannot be hired, however, as they are part of the problem, it seems overly generous to be attributing to them the position of saviours of public education. All corporations together contribute a mere 3% of the New Brunswick budget, by adding even two or three percentages, the province could afford to provide more services.
One wonders how much such extensive Irving involvement affects curriculae. Are children being adequately taught about air pollution, media concentration, environmental diversity, or any of the other numerous areas where Irving has a vested interest?
The volunteers are to be commended, while their owners could do far more for poverty in the community by hiring more staff (Maine's LNG terminal will be hiring ten times the number of staff and contributing double the taxation) and paying more of their fair share of taxes.
Lets see, Anonymous gets the facts wrong not just once but Three times and apparently don't even read the links they supply themselves. When they finally do take their proverbial foot out of their mouth long enough to actually do what they suggested others do and find they were completely and utterly WRONG they have the audacity to suggest others grow up? Me thinks anonymous could profit by a little self reflection. Your so called "error" was well over half of your original letter. What is left is nothing more than opinionated whining about lost taxes and a little bit of Irving bashing completely unrelated to the original article past your the first paragraph. I do hope anonymous has the where with all to remember to sign their real name to the letter they send as unlike here real editorial papers don't publish anonymously. But perhaps you don't realize that's a "fact" also. Then again maybe you do know that..... Maybe you just want to make sure it doesn't get printed hmm?
As said, if the above poster would bother reading, at NO point did I state that I knew what the population of the school was, only that it was an inconsistency. Understand? Perhaps you need a picture?
The population of the school has nothing to do with the issue anyway, so it seems 'just in passing' isn't just in passing at all but is simply a troll trying to keep any debate off the real issue.
And of course any criticism of Irving is 'whining' to some people. To some people if an Irving were to come to their house and kick their spouse in the head they'd tell their spouse to quit whining, after all, Irving supplies jobs, so whats a kick in the head?
So if anybody has any real and actual criticisms feel free to post them, let's hope 'just in passing' is well on their way back to Irving headquarters or wherever they get their orders from.
And of course I signed my real name, look for it in the paper..but also I'd be very happy if its not printed as I would very much like to prove Charles right. Either way its a win win. So really, do try to grow up and have a civil debate.
Poor little anonymous, as always just can't admit that they scewed up from the first line they wrote and when someone calls them out on their error has to resort to childish accusations.Suggesting I might be an Irving employee is such a very... childish thing to do. My yes anonymouse, how civil of you. Did you even other to read the articles as posted? Do you even know what they were about? It seems pretty darned obvious you didn't. All you saw was "Irvings" and from then on you and your irrational prejudices were the only thing you could think of. Your rants have nothing to do with the series of articles just your own personal hate of the Irvings. The closest you ever came to the truth of the matter was the very first line you ever typed..."I am somewhat confused".That just about sums you up. If you want to complain abut the Irvings go right ahead, I doubt you matter that much to them anyway but don't pretend to be upset by these articles when in fact you don't address anything they say with the exception of the company involved. You don't give a darn about these kids at the school. You don't care if they are being helped or not. Your not interested in debating the program or even finding out more about it. All you care about is that the Irvings are involved and that pisses you off. You really do need to do some growing up if you wish to ever be taken seriously anonymous.
I have no wish to be taken seriously by people like the above, their idea of serious is just Irving toadying. All the wonderful things about Irving are at their newspapers, feel free to go post there.
The same tired accusations come out anytime somebody says anything critical of the Irvings..."oh, you didn't read the article" and "everything you say is so wrong that I won't even reply to it".
Thats typical of Irving's lackeys, but here the audience is somewhat more critical in case people haven't noticed.
If anybody can actually state what is factually wrong in the article please do so, that's what blogs and debate are all about.
We can even dumb it down for our Irving people to understand..."If Irving paid their taxes, schools could afford better services without them". Here are the 'facts' people are free to dispute:
1. Irvings LNG terminal pays HALF the property tax of a similar one in Maine.
2. Irving threatened St. John council to get a tax break that will save them over a hundred million over the life of the plant.
3. If that money went to government then they could afford more educational services.
4. With such heavy Irving involvement, schools will be under pressure to not 'say anything negative about Irving' to students.
(called 'brainwashing')
Those are the facts, once again, if somebody wants to debate them feel free. Our 'just in passing' commentor likes to criticize, but so far we don't see any actual debate, just personal insults. That's hardly being 'grown up', unless its a weird idea of maturity. But from the above we can tell that he never even read the letter I sent, which is simply those four facts above, plus, we can note, some congratulations on the volunteers and for the attempt, which shows just who is being petty. Even when people make ANY criticism of Irving then they are censured.
Well, that's what a blog is for. No, my opinion doesn't matter to the Irvings in the least, I don't feel too singled out in that, since if your last name isn't Irving, your opinion means little more.
Oh you have nothing to fear anonymous no one is taking you serious. Just watching you ramble on is more than enough to persuade most you have nothing worth saying. I just enjoyed the time you allowed me to help prove that. But I couldn't have done it with out you.
Yes, I"m sure you're very proud of pointing out something nobody said. So glad y ou've got nothing of value to offer. Are you Jamie or JD? Al Hogan perhaps?
Are you two related or is it just a coincidence you have the same name and quick wit?
What? Still no takers? Here it is again!
1. Irvings LNG terminal pays HALF the property tax of a similar one in Maine.
2. Irving threatened St. John council to get a tax break that will save them over a hundred million over the life of the plant.
3. If that money went to government then they could afford more educational services.
4. With such heavy Irving involvement, schools will be under pressure to not 'say anything negative about Irving' to students.
(called 'brainwashing')
1, so what, thats life get over it..(mind you with your way with numbers I am not sure I'd believe that anyway)
2,Threatened? are you sure? sounds like your taking more liberties there. After all, they had a choice.
3,Get your head out of the sand, what makes you think any more money would go to education.
4, Thats just about the most paranoid idea you have com up with yet. We are talking up to grade 8 here. Get over it and grow up anon. See not that hard to answer at all.
Boy? What a war!!!! Just for the record? Since the Irving press is rolling. I'm almost 100% certain that your letter will be printed because the letter if in a public forum.
It would be very foolish of Jamie Irving not to print your letter?
But? If the letter would have been email private?
The answer would have been - NO!!!!
There, that wasn't so hard was it! See what can happen when you actually have an opinion-welcome to the blogging world!
1. Get over it? That's not actually a rebuttal, if somebody says "he shot my dog", rarely is the response "get over it". When politicians do something stupid, the only people who say 'get over it' are the politicians themselves.
People are free to go research that, in fact the information is readily available because unlike Canada, Maine actually had referenda where the people themselves got to vote on whether they wanted a terminal or not (they call it 'democracy'). 'Getting over it', of course, is something people have no interest in doing, otherwise there would be no need of blogs, or even a letter to the editor section.
2. The threats were very public as more than one councillor verified the story and its even available in Irvings own paper (although it wasn't covered for very long). They told them if they didn't approve it that day then it wouldn't happen. That's clearly a threat, if somebody robs you with a gun you still have a 'choice', you can 'choose' to get shot. Not a very good choice at all.
3. This was a good reply, that is a very good point. However, if you look at New Brunswick's budget virtually the only things they are spending money on are health and education. Plus, property tax generally goes to the city, that's virtually the only place municipal governments get money. It 'may' take some work for people to make sure it goes to those services, but even disregarding this issue, its pretty hard to defend Irvings tax break when the city of Saint John is practically running a deficit and having to stop services and jack up the bridge tolls.
In fact, Irving is so powerful in Saint John if they showed up with their property tax cheque and said "we want this to go to these schools in this area" there's virtually nobody who would argue. As we see, the difference would be between that and not getting any at all!
4. That's hardly paranoid at all, if you are a large corporation getting into the schools what the heck would YOU teach? "OK, children, today we're going to learn just how much pollution the pulp mill puts into your air". Notice they are taking the kids on outings to Irvings Nature Park, not the pulp mill or Fundy Park.
That's just common sense. Any company will do that, and Irving owns all the media for a reason, not just because they like reading funnies. That's hardly conspiracy theory stuff, although there are usually people who will try to make common sense ideas like that sound outragious. Far from it. There are numerous ways they could have far better impact on poverty in the city, there's a reason they've chosen this route.
I doubt they'll print the letter, but who knows? In reality far fewer people read the letters to the editor than the rest of the paper, and one letter of criticism isn't going to amount to much. Irving is too well entrenched in the New Brunswick psyche, those who dislike them certainly don't need my letter to make them think of what Irving is up to in the schools, and those like our posting friend up there simply don't take Irving criticisms at all, and certainly not in a story about giving food to kids.
Just as one more aside though, they are charging kids $2 for a meal, but that's hardly a deal. A bowl of cereal with milk, a muffin and apple are easily obtainable for that price. If the companies bought their supplies in bulk they'd even make a profit on the days they are selling them.
Post a Comment