Program Has Students Dropping In, Not Out

‘If I do anything wrong, he seems to know about it before I can tell him. I think that’s good because he finds a way to help us.’

seventh-grader

“Be a Better Person Breakfast Club”

Every Saturday morning at Maclay Junior High in Pacoima, students who are failing or who chronically ditch classes or who are discipline problems, according to school officials, gather at the front gates and clamor to be let on campus.

They are part of the “Be a Better Person Breakfast Club,” a special counseling program that provides extra attention to students who, for a variety of reasons, are potential dropouts. The program has proved so popular that sometimes former students return to join in.

Over orange juice, cereal, doughnuts and milk, the Maclay students discuss their problems, work at improving math and reading skills and have a little fun by videotaping their own news program.

“Attacking the dropout problem in high school is too late,” said Sally Fujii, Los Angeles school district adviser. “Educators are starting to focus more attention to elementary and junior high students who are having problems that indicate they may be dropouts of the future.”

High Dropout Rate

City schools have one of the highest attrition rates in the nation. About 44% of the students who enter a Los Angeles high school never graduate from that school. In some areas of the district, administrators estimate that about 10% of the students who complete ninth grade never enroll in high school.

About two years ago, at the urging of former West Valley school board representative David Armor, a dropout-prevention program called the Junior High School Student Assistance Program was established. Students with problems regarding behavior, attendance or academic performance are directed there.

“Sometimes kids who are having problems have no one to turn to,” said Natalie Messinger, guidance adviser for schools in the northern San Fernando Valley. “This program, hopefully, shows the kids there is someone who is willing to extend themselves to make sure they succeed in school.”

There are assistance programs at each of the district’s 73 junior high schools. Every program is different, and there is no set criteria for selecting students to participate.

As an example, Porter Junior High in Granada Hills has an after-school class that assistance-program students say with pride is “for members only.” At Mulholland Junior High in Van Nuys, they learn how to successfully tackle new challenges through a scuba-diving club.

Parents See Changes

Parents tell district officials that the program has started to produce positive changes in their children. For example, a Canoga Park father recently sent school administrators a copy of his son’s report card. After years of receiving low grades, the youth had made A’s and B’s, and the father credited his son’s participation in the campus-assistance program.

But even with such accolades, the $1.1 million earmarked for district dropout-prevention programs--including the junior-high assistance program--is in danger of being eliminated because of Gov. George Deukmejian’s proposal to reduce state funding of public education.

“Just as we’re starting to get things going, our funding is threatened,” said Messinger. “It’s making us all a little nervous.”

At Maclay, simply being identified as a student who would benefit from the extra counseling is not good enough to get into the Breakfast Club. School psychologist Bill St. Johns, the club coordinator, said he hand-picks the students, finding potential club members among playground loners and campus rebels, he said, as well as among students with academic and behavior problems.

Individual Counseling

Once a student has been chosen for the Breakfast Club, St. Johns becomes a sort of personal guardian angel. The lanky counselor checks up on club members during the week, talking to their teachers, conferring with their parents.

“If I do anything wrong, he seems to know about it before I can tell him,” said one seventh-grader. “I think that’s good because he finds a way to help us.”

“He’s like a father,” added another Breakfast Club member.

St. Johns usually hands out written invitations Friday to the Saturday meeting. Sometimes the personal touch can uncover problems. Recently, as St. Johns was delivering invitations, he learned that two club members had skipped an afternoon class, and said the two would be “called on the carpet” for it at the meeting.

On a recent Saturday, 12 students were on hand for the Breakfast Club. As many as 20 sometimes attend the sessions.

Breakfast Club Meets

St. Johns and his wife try to arrive half an hour before the scheduled 9 a.m. starting time. But no matter how early they get to the school, “they’re always waiting for us,” said Kathy St. Johns. “The moment we open the gate, there are kids everywhere. They just come out of the woodwork.”

The club meets in the counseling center, and once the doors swing open, the students make a beeline to sign the attendance sheet. Then they make a dash for the food.

Although St. Johns and other assistance-program counselors get paid for time they spend with students, the school district will not pay for food. So the St. Johnses dig into their own pockets.

“I try to save a little money by getting unused cartons of milk from the cafeteria,” St. Johns said with a chuckle.

Once the club members pour their cereal and finish the argument over who gets the jelly doughnuts, the work begins. Over breakfast, club members discuss current events. Many have already taken a quick peek at the newspaper left on the office’s front counter. The conversation ranges from the new superintendent of schools to the hearing on the Iran- contra scandal.

Week’s Events Discussed

The conversation soon turns to school as St. Johns asks all the students in turn how their week went. Most mumble, “OK,” or “Not bad,” but St. Johns is persistent. In a caring tone, he mentions that two of the club members were not in an afternoon class the day before.

The group perks up as the two accused members try to explain their absence. After a few moments, St. Johns then asks the group to give him reasons students avoid school.

“They’re lazy,” said one youth.

“They don’t like the teacher,” another said.

“Too many hassles,” someone said.

“Too hard. Classes are too hard,” said someone else.

One by one, St. Johns discusses each of the answers and suggests strategies that might solve the problems.

As the dishes are cleared away, conversations end, and math games begin. As they work, St. Johns and the other counselors may take some students aside and talk to them in confidence about school or family problems.

Video News Show

By 11, the students are getting fidgety. Sensing the growing restlessness, St. Johns knows it is time to start working with the video equipment.

Each week, the students put on their own news show, complete with a sportscaster and a weather person. Stories are taken from the newspaper or are reports on community or campus events.

By noon, the Breakfast Club is over. Students who live nearby hop on their bikes or walk home. Students who live far from the campus pile into St. Johns’ car and get a ride home.

The goal of the Breakfast Club, St. Johns said, is to “build the kids’ self-esteem and develop future leaders.”

“The bottom line,” said Maclay Principal Deborah Leidner, “is that the kids know there is somebody here who cares.”