Launched in 1998, the Watch D.O.G.S. program gets fathers more involved at school with their kids and asks dads to commit to at least one day a year to helping out by being on campus.
The program is now in about 6,500 schools nationwide, but most of those are elementary schools. Recently, Prosper high school in Collin County decided it was time to implement the program there.
Folks with the Watch D.O.G.S. program will tell you kids are more likely to stay in school, off drugs and out of trouble if they have a male role model actively involved in their lives.
Prosper Vice Principal Dedrick Buckles agrees. "You always see females involved in school, but you rarely see males involved unless it's with sports or maybe fine arts," Buckles explained. "Just having a male presence to be able to mentor a kid here or there, is very vital to the success of the school."
Now, You might think with high school kids they might not want their dad on campus — not cool, right? But, a number of kids at Prosper actually said they were excited when they found out about it.
"We didn't have a program like this, and I think it's real important to kind of have parents involved so they know what's going on," said Kelly Trinh, a Prosper High School junior from California. "Sometimes in high school there is a disconnect with parents and students, so it's important to keep that bond."
With all of the school shootings in recent years it shouldn't be a surprise that safety is a big concern. There are officers on most high school campuses, including Prosper, but administrators still say every set of eyes and ears helps.
"Any time there is another male on campus, that is another physical presence, but also the kids look up to the guys and can relate to them," Vice Principal Dustin Toth said.
And building relationships is also a big part of what they are trying to do. Principal Dr. John Burdett says he wants the school to be an extension of the home. "We don't want the school to be just that is a building over there, we want our kids feel that they're not coming to a separate place, it's just an extension of where they're coming from in the morning," said Burdett.
The name Watch D,O.G.S. isn't simply a take on security. D.O.G.S. stands for "dads of great students."
Most of the programs are actually started by dads who approached the school about getting involved.
ONLINE: If you're interested, check out their website www.dadsofgreatstudents.com.
