DODD: Have you hugged a kid today?

By LINDON DODD

Amy Hasselbring is in her initial year as principal at New Washington Elementary School. She replaced one of the very best in Elizabeth “Betty” Bennett. As with anybody who is new in a leading position, Hasselbring evaluated what was already working at the school and looked for something that might allow her to improve upon an already great elementary school.

Hasselbring acknowledges one of the strengths of the New Washington community that greatly enhances the environment is the availability of parents willing to be involved in school matters. It is in that mode where this column actually had its origin in an e-mail from one of those involved parents — Rose Andes back in mid-November. Her initial request was to see if I could have some involvement in a new mentoring program.

Andes is on the Parent Advisory Council and is concerned with the literacy of the students at New Washington Elementary — specifically any readers that might not be as proficient as would be desired. I did arrange a meeting between the two parties and we discussed the ideas and steps in properly administering a mentoring program.

Hasselbring decided to initially concentrate on the third grade level which is a very pivotal year in the elementary educational journey. The initial plan is to start out small with the program until it can be further expanded to meet the need of any child who could use some assistance. The ultimate goal of the mentoring program is to match a child with a volunteer who is willing to associate with the child throughout their elementary school career.

Aside from the educational assistance, an adult-mentor relationship has been proven to benefit children in many other ways including personal growth, confidence in self-achievement, and just generally having a positive adult role model.

Initially, Principal Hasselbring would like to concentrate on the children’s classics such as “Charlotte’s Web” in finding ways to encourage children to read and discover reading can be enjoyable as well as a necessary tool for educational achievement. A current campaign is underway from the Indiana Governor’s office and a successful mentoring program headed up by Greater Clark County Schools Board Trustee Christina Gilkey is currently in place at Jeffersonville High School.

A couple of practical elements come into play in establishing and running a mentoring program. The first and most obvious is the need for volunteers to become mentors. Such an experience is a way to give back and certainly any mentor should benefit in many ways from their relationship with a child. Mentors can feel a real sense of accomplishment and pride as they watch the personal and educational growth in the children with whom they establish a bond.

The second component is obviously there will be a need for some books and possible incentives to motivate the students to work hard and achieve. Donations would be welcomed in the form of books, or money to purchase books and materials, and resources to either purchase or act as incentives.

While nobody expects the program to become a large expense, resources within the school system are already strained and with the recent announcement of further cuts from the state’s educational budget, a plea is necessary to the community-at-large and the local business community. New Washington State Bank manager Jeff Hall and President Pat Glotzbach have already stepped up to support the program by enabling employees to serve as mentors in the program.

Children are certainly our most precious and valuable community resource. Anyone who would like more information could contact Principal Hasselbring at New Washington Elementary School or can contact Rose Andes at Roseandes@aol.com. or she can be reached by phone at 812-289-1452.



They Come To Bury Ceaser, Not Praise Him!

Some of you might have ready my Holiday Miracle column regarding stimulus funds obtained by Mayor Bob Hall in Charlestown to help some local residents with sewer problems. A portion of the column contained, according to reader Jim James, “a serious error” involving a statement made that former Charlestown Mayor Mike Hall did not pursue a grant during his administration stated in the column as — “When Bob Hall lost the election to his successor Mike Hall, that deal was not pursued.”

Per Mr. James, the grant I referred to was a grant from Rural Development to fund a sewer project. He further noted that Mike Hall did pursue the grant but when re-elected Bob Hall did not. When contacted by e-mail with Mr. James’ assertion, Bob Hall responded by acknowledging that his handling or non-handling of the grant had been a very contentious issue during the last election campaign. As is obvious at this point, Bob Hall chose another solution to the sewer issue.

I only wish to set the record straight and state that all parties agree that the way the issue was resolved was good for the residents of the Lakeview and Highview subdivisions. I do wish to apologize to former Mayor Mike Hall if any misimpression might have caused people to negatively reflect upon his performance and wish him luck as he will be running for another county office this year. I always worked well with Mike Hall, as I do with Bob Hall, and personally have a good relationship with both men. I do stand by the remainder of that column in both content and final contention of a job well done by government for the people.

Lindon Dodd is an Otisco resident who is a freelance writer and can be reached at lindon.dodd@hotmail.com

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