CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- It's hard figuring out how to be a good student and a good person, but 16 young men in Richmond have tied it together. Welcome to the Falling Creek Middle School “Young Gentlemen of the Creek” necktie ceremony.
"It allows us to highlight some of the best, some the brightest, the most very optimistic young men that we have here at Falling Creek Middle School," group adviser Angela Harris said.
The ceremony, which started in 2014, recognizes students referred by their teachers.
"It's important for our young men to see that they can aspire to be the next entrepreneur, the next politician, the next physician, the next engineer," Ms. Harris said. “It's important to know they see this as something attainable if I work hard in school."
Once a month, the young men meet after school, learning about how to maintain a positive attitude and to be respectful.
"It's a cool program because it also teaches proper etiquette and manners," student Jayden Jones said. "You also get to have fun with it, like the time we went fishing. I love fishing."
The neckties from which they choose are donated from senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, former governor Terry McAuliffe, local college presidents, and others.
Building boys to men is Building Better Minds.
