Patrick Gerdes and Morgan Thomas

WETA Hometown Heroes June 2008. Patrick Gerdes and Morgan Thomas are co-presidents of the Fathers' Circle at Kingsview Middle School (KMS) in Germantown, Maryland.

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Morgan Thomas and Patrick Gerdes, co-presidents of the Fathers' Circle at Kingsview Middle School (KMS) in Germantown, Maryland, are the WETA Hometown Heroes for June 2008.

WETA selected Gerdes and Thomas for their instrumental work in increasing the participation of fathers in their students’ education and demonstrably improving the academic environment at KMS.

The KMS Fathers' Circle was born in January 2006, when school administers sought to address the situation of an increasingly high number of black male students being suspended, becoming academically ineligible to graduate, and lagging in scores on the Maryland State Assessment tests.

Principal Dennis Queen and Assistant Principal Deborah R. Higdon invited the fathers of black males to a meeting to ask for their help; Gerdes and Thomas attended, and this meeting and their work led to the formation of the KMS Fathers' Circle. This group of KMS fathers and others are committed to working with the administration and staff to improve the performance and experience of KMS students.

Gerdes and Thomas, through their work with the Fathers' Circle, have raised the academic success of students at KMS. Since its inception, there has been an increase in homework completion, class participation and the number of black males on the honor roll, and a decrease in discipline referrals and suspensions at the schools.

The Fathers' Circle encourages a proactive "as opposed to reactive" philosophy, organizing monthly meetings for the group to discuss concerns and planning regular activities that promote positive paternal and general familial involvement in education. These events include Family Math/Literacy Nights with more than 300 attendees, college visits for the entire eighth grade class, an 8th Grade Career Day, tours and field trips, and the annual Students vs. Parents Basketball Game/Literacy Event.

“The increased presence and involvement of fathers at Kingsview has been a key element in reducing conflicts and the suspension rates of boys, and most importantly it has reinforced the positive messages to our kids that their dads, as well as their moms, are committed to work with school staff to give them the best learning opportunities," said Gerdes. "The Fathers' Circle sought to live by the wise saying that 'it takes a village to raise a child' by bringing some male role models to the school to impact the environment for all kids, not just our own."

The Fathers' Circle has also motivated attendance at PTSA meetings, with an 80 to 100% participation increase this year. Individually, both Gerdes and Thomas have inspired other local fathers to join the Fathers' Circle, and they were both instrumental in KMS receiving a $10,000 grant from America Online (AOL) to help fund Fathers' Circle, which was one of the goals first established by the group.

The KMS Fathers' Circle welcomes all parents that are committed to helping students to excel and willing to help enhance the learning experience for all students.

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