CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Eastover Elementary School students were greeted with warm smiles from dads monitoring the carpool line Wednesday.
The assistant principal said the presence of men from the "Be There Dad" organization on the school campus positively shifts the environment for students heading to school.
"With all the things in the news, we just want to greet them with a smiling face and let them know we are here," Luke Stelzer said.
Michael Scotland is a music teacher at Eastover, and he said greeting each student by their name adds a personal touch.
"I call out each name as he comes in and greets every student," Scotland said.
Melanie Bender is the assistant principal over at Eastover, and she said the presence of dads on their campus brings calmness, comfort and enhances security for students.
"The kids love seeing them line up at the carpool line they run up and give them hugs and high fives," Bender said.
She said since the men of Eastover got involved, she has noticed better relationships and a stronger community.
Be There Dad is an organization whose purpose is to help dads become engaged and stay involved in the lives of their children. The Be There Dad concept relies on the “power of presence”. That idea says that when dads are involved in the lives of their children in a positive way, good things happen.
Visit the Be There Dad website for more information on the organization and how to get involved.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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