NATCHEZ &045; Twenty ministers have stepped up to lend a hand at Robert Lewis Middle School in a program principal Bettye Bell says already makes a difference and continues to grow.

&uot;Ministers Mentoring&uot; brings the strong presence of respected leaders to the school hallways, Bell said. Students notice.

&uot;Young men coming into the building start tucking in their shirts,&uot; Bell said. &uot;I think the ministers’ presence will have a big impact.&uot;

The idea is not to bring religion to school. In fact, Bell has been careful to provide ministers with guidelines that preclude mixing church and public school in inappropriate ways. &uot;We certainly don’t want to impose religion on our students. That’s not what we’re doing.&uot;

Ministers are well known, Bell said. And not only do they have a positive effect on middle school children’s behavior when they are present, but the ministers also know the parents and families and can speak with them about the importance of preparing children for success in school.

&uot;The students that enter our doors each day come from a variety of backgrounds and family structures,&uot; Bell said. &uot;Many of our children are in need of guidance from positive members of our community.&uot;

The Rev. Clifton Marvel, assistant pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church, agrees and has joined the effort at the school. One of his goals is to

recruit more ministers to take part in the program, he said.

Teachers and school personnel can do only so much. Help from others is vital during the challenging middle school years, Bell said.

Marvel said some children virtually are rearing themselves, as they are from families in which both parents work or from one in which a single &045; and often stressed &045; parent is trying to do it all alone.

&uot;Some of these children have a poor sense of direction and a lack of appreciation for authority,&uot; Marvel said. &uot;They see us standing up with the teachers and principals and they begin to understand the importance of that authority.&uot;

The ministers will be available to talk to students one on one, to counsel and advise them. &uot;We believe this will make a profound difference in their behavior,&uot; Marvel said.

Bell said she read about faith-based initiatives in other places and she listened to parents who suggested churches should be involved in influencing the students.

The ministers help to bring more parents to school to observe their children’s classes &045; an effort Bell has put at the top of her priority list since the beginning of the school year.

The Ministers Mentoring program is in its beginning stage. There is room for many more ministers to become involved, and Bell looks for that to happen in the near future.

&uot;We’re in the planning process still. After Monday, we’ll have a schedule for when ministers will come. And they have said there will be more of them coming.&uot;