Sonya Roberts-Woods /Special to the Jimplecute
After signing on the dotted line, the Region 8 Education Service Center and three area school districts are the first to officially join forces with the HOPE (Helping Others Prioritize Education) Initiative, Inc., seeking to close both academic and social gaps while addressing mental wellness one student at a time.
“The HOPE Initiative gives us a great opportunity to keep building bridges with all of our schools,” said Dr. David Fitts, Region 8 Executive Director. “Anytime we can get inside the schools to work with character education and mix it with the values of East Texas, it’s a win-win for us.”
“I believe the HOPE Initiative is going to work because of the people who are behind it and the schools that have already been successful using it,” Dr Fitts continued. “It already has a proven track record of success with students, faculty, staff and communities. I truly believe that this partnership will be great for our Region 8 schools that endeavor to embark upon it and put it into their junior high curriculum. I think it will be a success for all of our students which is what we are all here for.”
The new partnership allows for the organizations to pool resources, including collaboration with mental health professionals. In turn, the HOPE Initiative provides daily, year-long character education curriculum, written by veteran educator Sonya Roberts-Woods, to participating Region 8 school districts. Known as the Character and Career Academy (C&CA), the program focuses on self-discovery in grade 6, social awareness and wellness in grade 7 and career pathway and future planning for students in grade 8. Topics taught include responsibility, empathy and how to prevent bullying and resolve conflict with others. Daily mental health mindfulness is also a cornerstone component of the program.
With over 15 years in higher education administration, Dr. Robert Harper, the HOPE Initiative’s Chief Executive Officer, previously worked in colleges throughout East Texas and the Dallas area before launching the non-profit organization in 2019. Working primarily with high school and college students as well as partnering with law enforcement agencies to improve community relations, Dr. Harper saw a need to begin better preparing middle school students to successfully transition to high school and eventually into adulthood.
“We are so excited about this opportunity to have major impact in the lives of the [middle school] students we serve,” Dr. Harper said. “Through this partnership [with Region 8 and participating school districts], we will be able to provide teacher training and professional development. Students will get access to a curriculum that goes beyond regular classroom teaching. We are going to help students develop character. They will understand about responsibility. We are going to get them prepped for college readiness, career readiness and life readiness. Our goal is to position these students so that they can be productive citizens where they live, work and learn.”
Region 8, one of 20 education centers in Texas, currently services a total of 46 school districts representing over 55,000 students in 12 counties. Three districts in the Region 8 service area, Daingerfield-Lone Star, DeKalb and Jefferson, also signed Memorandum of Understanding agreements with the HOPE Initiative during the recent signing day ceremony held at the Region 8 facility in Pittsburg.
“At Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD, we are truly concerned about teaching and reaching the whole child,” explained Lesia Lewis, Superintendent of Schools. “Focusing on academics does not replace the need for character development. Our motto is: Preparing Students for Life. And we all know that character development plays an important part in any type of success that we may reach. To be invited to take part in this HOPE Initiative program is an honor in itself and we look forward to all of the benefits that this program will bring to our students, our school and our families.”
First piloted at Jefferson Junior High School beginning in the Fall of 2022, the C&CA program continues to thrive at the campus.
“I am pleased to see that other school districts in Northeast Texas are interested in implementing the program that we have started in Jefferson with the HOPE Initiative,” explained Dr. Tim Phy, Jefferson Junior High School Principal. “I think they (other school districts) will see great strides with their kids in junior high in terms of how they look to the future and what their goals, through short term and long-term planning, are and as they progress through the 8th grade with their career and readiness selection for their high school choices and career paths. We have seen kids adopt more of a growth mindset in their ability to set goals and achieve those goals in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade because of the lessons they have learned in the Character and Career Academy.”
In fact, over the past two years, JJHS has experienced a dramatic decrease in overall ISS (In School Suspension) and DAEP (Disciplinary Alternative Education Program) placements as well as a slight increase in attendance and overall campus rating. While the JJHS administration credits the HOPE Initiative with helping to achieve such impressive milestones, JJHS Assistant Principal Lauren Anderson is credited with actually introducing the program to the district after a conversation with former staff member Larry Allen.
Just two years from the onset of COVID in Spring 2020 and the shutdown of schools, Anderson needed to address academic and social deficits going into the Fall 2022 school year.
“As school districts, we are dealing with problems that are new; problems that we haven’t encountered in education,” Anderson said. “We are dealing with the fact that we can no longer just teach students math, science and social studies. We have to address their [students’] social-emotional needs. We get into education because we want to impact students. And if you are only focusing on academics, which of course are very important, you are not making the impact that you could. These learners these days need that emotional support too. So working with the HOPE Initiative has been amazing.”
In addition to work at Jefferson ISD, the HOPE Initiative also provided curriculum for Atlanta Middle School students during the Spring 2024 semester. The chance to have an impact on middle students is something that appealed to former Texas A&M University-Texarkana administrator Toney Favors. Favors, has partnered with the HOPE Initiative and is an integral team member.
“I am excited to be involved in the HOPE Initiative which aims to empower individuals to enhance their quality of life,” Favors said. “After making my transition/retirement from higher education, I wanted to use my skills to assist young students, particularly those in middle school. I believe that the Character & Career Academy program is essential in instilling core values in our middle school students by addressing crucial areas that are particularly pertinent in today’s world.”
For Emily Lee, DeKalb ISD’s Chief Instructional Officer, the was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the program that they will implement this fall.
“I learned about the basis of the HOPE Initiative and how it is more than just character education; it’s planning for students’ futures and that’s one of our goals as a district. We want to make sure that students are prepared to enter life and be successful citizens,” explained Lee.
For more information about the HOPE Initiative or the Character and Career Academy, please send an email to: info@the-hope-initiative.org.