DATE: February 26, 2008
CONTACT:
Roy Jones, (864) 656-7915
royj@clemson.edu
CONTACT:
Aretta Jenkins, (866) 231-1264
8662311264@gosolo.com
WRITER:
Ross Norton, (864) 656-4810
rnorton@clemson.edu
S.C. ETV airs Call Me MISTER documentary
CLEMSON — The Call Me MISTER program will be the subject of a documentary featuring several of its graduates at 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 28, on the South Carolina ETV public broadcasting network.
The 30-minute documentary, titled “Call Me Mister,” was produced, directed and narrated by Aretta Jenkins, founder of CornBread Chronicles LLC. Jenkins, a Clemson University graduate and Upstate oral historian, tells the Call Me MISTER story by connecting the family and community roots of several graduates with their motivation to become successful teachers. Hayward Jean, Damon Qualls, Zebulun Dinkins and Justin Ballenger all have powerful stories to tell about survival, perseverance, inspiration and hope in the future, she said.
“The context of their lives and their ability to transcend their sociological circumstances is both their motivation and secret for personal development and success,” Jenkins said. Each of these young men can identify “key family members and mentors, who have protected and enriched their lives.”
Roy Jones, executive director of the Clemson-based Call Me MISTER program, agreed, stating, “the nuclear and extended family, as well as the surrounding community is a significant reality in the lives of MISTERs and their potential effectiveness as teacher-leader advocates for education.”
The purpose of Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader, more diverse background, particularly among the state’s lowest performing elementary schools.
The program is based at Clemson University and delivered at universities and colleges across the state.