Riverside Elementary fathers group gets more male volunteers in the classroom
Published: Friday, February 10, 2012, 7:00 AM
View full sizeKevin Mattias, a parent at Riverside Elementary School in Milwaukie, helps kindergartner Kyron Cushman while Tyler Creswick (center) and Mattias’ son, Keenan, work on their own projects. Kevin Mattias is participating in a national program called Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students), which encourages father figures to get into classrooms, where the volunteers typically are female.As they walked away, one student offered Kayser a high five, and another girl sidled up next to him to ask if he was coming back next week.
Kayser quietly smiled before helping to settle down the rest of the kids.
About WATCH D.O.G.S.
In Oregon: The national fatherhood group WATCH D.O.G.S. has nine participating schools in Oregon, according to national director Eric Snow. It recently partnered with Oregon PTA to work toward setting up a statewide day of dads and other male role models volunteering in schools.
At Riverside: To learn more about the WATCH D.O.G.S. program at Riverside Elementary School in Milwaukie, emailwatchdogs@riversidetigers.org
At most elementary schools, a volunteer dad like Kayser can be a rare sight. But a few Riverside fathers are hoping to change that through the WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program, which is helping father figures get in on the classroom volunteering act.
After getting started in 1998 at an Arkansas school, the WATCH D.O.G.S. program has sprouted up in more than 2,000 buildings across the country. The national organization, which sells startup kits with instructions on h