Spring Break \’08: Arkansas

As we stepped off of the van this morning and entered Stephens High School there was a unique energy present.  Much due to the fact that our days of interaction and service in this community was culminating.  Therefore, I personally in a single moment, dually existed in a emotional state of overwhelming joy and a sharp pain of sadness.  Sadness because what I was just becoming to know and understand to be Stephens would be rapidly downsized to emails, photos, and memories.  Yet, there was overwhelming joy because we had yet another day to affect positive change.

While some of my peers taught classes (Yay Trayonna) and others helped to actually get students to apply to colleges/universities (which included tracking down transcripts, calling Admission’s offices, retrieving ACT scores, and much more) myself, Donte, and Michael spent the first two hours of our day in ISS.  So for all of you who have never gotten in any trouble in your K-12 career, ISS stands for In School Suspension.  Most of these students were in here for things such as disrupting class, skipping school, or confrontations with teachers or other staff.  When I first entered the room they all were looking at me like: “So, what is this kid from Wake Forest going to say to us?  Let me guess, you need to behave yourself or you are going to through your future away.”  Not to blame them, that is probably what i would have said myself.  Yet, as conversation begun and I told that I spent most of my 7th grade year in ISS myself, one kid exclaimed “Oh, now we can talk.”  Before you knew it there was a semi-circle around me and Michael as we told the students how horrible we were.  Isn’t that great!  No we didn’t beat them over the head with the “Act Right” stick.  No we didn’t introduce them to the fear factor (however that is sometimes needed).  Instead we gave them hope.  We said, “Look how horrible we were and we made it.”  For all of you concerned parents (or paternal like people), we didn’t create a false reality that if they continued the way they did life will just pan out.  However, we told them that you posses the power within you to change your own destiny.  You can CHANGE!

One young man in particular (the one who first gave me the credibility to speak) who I really clicked with was an 8th grader named Jaylen .  Interestingly enough, he was named after Jalen Rose (NBA player) just like my younger brother back home.  He told me that he wanted to be a basketball player himself, but if that didn’t pan out he would like to be high school teacher and basketball coach.  After spending some time on the internet I returned with some scholarship information for African-American males who aspired to be teachers.  I knew it meant something when we all took pictures together and held up high in front of him were the papers I gave him.  Wow!  Powerful!  That moment will forever grip me.

After leaving the school we were invited to Linda and Russ’s home (yeah they are professors, but they demanded we call them by their first names).  While at their home I rode a horse for the first time ( a World Champion Show horse at that).  They were extremely gracious and allowed us to stay at their ranch for three hours.  They then joined us for dinner at Pizza Inn where we help support the Stehphens’ High School National Honor Society’s  fundraisr for their spring trip.  All around our day was full, but great.

As I finish this blog, I must say it is truly clearer now.  It is clearer that I and you can REALLY make a difference and it starts with each of us giving of ourselves.  Reaching out to our neighbors and that includes any man, woman, boy or girl who see in need.  Touch someone and see how much of it will change not only them, but you as well.  My heart is overwhelmed, however life is clearer now.

It was a little more difficult to wake up today than yesterday.  Much of that can be attributed to the fact that I didn’t go to bed until after 2 a.m.  Today, we revisited Stephens High School where we interacted with some new students as well as some others from yesterday.  We arrived early enough this morning to attend third period with some of the students.  My natural selection was a History course.  I was surprised how engaged “some” of these students were (of course not all).  It seemed that they really wanted to be there (once again not all).  I only add the caveats to avoid portraying a picture of perfection.  After attending classes we were served a hardy, Arkansas high-school lunch from the lovely ladies of the cafeteria: Ms. Linda (who says whatever comes up, comes out), Ms. Patsy (who is also a twin who doesn’t mind to have fun), Ms. Urma, Ms. Debby, and Ms. Sarah.  Later we traveled back to Southern Arkansas University to attend a lecture by Dr. Smith and Dr. Hattery on the affect of incarceration on the African-American Family.  Once again, it was awesome to extend the opportunity for these students to experience not only the culture of a college campus, but also actively participate in the lectures as well.  Tomorrow we are looking forward to meeting some of the parents of these students.

Can’t wait!!! . . .

Judging by the time I awoke this morning (6:20 a.m. exactly) it would be hard to tell that I was on my senior year Spring Break. However, there are absolutely no complaints on my part. Thus far this trip has been more rewarding and enriching than any beach resort could ever be.  Today we journeyed from Southern Arkansas University at Magnolia to Stephens, Arkansas, approximately 30 miles away and visited Stephens High School.  Upon arriving, we were graciously greeted by Principal Wyndell, a two-time graduate of SAU and Stephens native.  When I first saw the school, I took it to be a church.  And no, not one of these new-age mega infrastructures with flat screens, theatrical lighting, and plush seating that reminds you of a movie theater (nothing against mega churches, I actually attend one myself).  Rather, the church you grew up in.  The one where they actually had Sunday School every Sunday and being a member of the Usher (or ur-sher) board was a big deal (nothing against these churches either, for they are my roots).  Not to digress, the physical building which was as older than my grandparents, was an outward indicator of the underfunding this school received.  To give you somewhat of an understanding of how underfunded Stephens High School is (7th-12th grade), Principal Wyndell told Professor Smith that “your (personal) library is bigger than our (school) library”.  This was no gross exaggeration.  In actuality, my elementary school library was bigger than this high school’s library.   Another important challenge that this community faces, is unemployment.  It’s one thing to read the statistics of unemployment in the comfort of academic lecture halls at a college/university.  Yet, it is totally different when you physically see a town of 1500 people only offer three avenues of occupation: the school system, grocery stores, or gas stations.  No Walmart.  No McDonald’s.  No factories.  Nothing.

However, in amidst all of these daunting realties there were rays of hope.  In particular the students.  These students (which are the reason we traveled fifteen hours) were some of the brightest, most joyful, and resilient group of young people I have ever met.  Some of these students have and continue to overcome obstacles that have “side-lined” many individuals in life.  Including the death of parents/guardians, raising children, and much more.  Yet, they still dream.  Big dreams.  After meeting the students at the high school, we traveled with them back to SAU (Magnolia) to sit in on a college lecture and then join them for lunch.  I pray that something I and my peers said today could have assisted a least one of these young people because they certainly left an imprint on me.  Our day ended with a formal dinner with President Rankin (SAU), Dr. Kathleen Mallory, and other SAU faculty and staff.  Day 1 was full.

Until next time . . .,

Keon

P.S.

My day was truly enriched today to talk with a couple of the most influential male mentors in my life: my dad, Mr. Derrick Howard and my youth pastor, Pastor Jayson Sloan.  Both shared words of love, encouragement, and insight.  Big ups to these awesome men!

So our two-day, fifteen-hour drive from North Carolina to Arkansas included an overnight stay in Mississippi and a myriad of conversation topics about marriage, the state of the Church, international development, Greek Life and a few minor arguments for the sake of debating.  I couldn’t have asked for a better group of individuals to experience my first road trip with.  Since our arrival to Southern Arkansas University we have been warmly welcomed by the students and staff.  We were given a campus tour that included the introduction to the new “Reynolds” building, which happens to be the newest and nicest infrastructure on campus.  Made me wonder, does he have any relations to R.J. Reynolds?  Where they distant cousins?  Does he invest in Tobacco? Who knows, it could be a coincident that two white men in the south and deep South become very wealthy and donate to institutions of Higher Education.  Not to digress, I have to give a shout out to Kyle, Corey, Bradley, Mary, and Manuela (hope I didn’t misspell anyone’s name).  They have to be some of the coolest people I’ve met . . . anywhere.  If this start is indicative to the rest of the week, I am full of anticipation.