MACON, Ga. — On Wednesday morning, students across Bibb County started preparing for their first day of school. At Bruce Elementary some students will have the chance to join a new mentoring program this year.
Just off Houston Avenue there's a new boss in town.
"I am ready to change the Bruce community," Principal Kizzie Lott said.
Lott went from teaching older students to now younger kids because she saw a opportunity to boost readings scores.
"I became an AP – assistant principal at southwest high school, there I was over the 9th grade academy, and I started seeing a lot of students were entering below grade level," Lott said.
With her new title Lott already has a list of goals to motivate the students at Bruce.
"We are going to start a mentorship program entitled WINGS, which means Willing Individuals Nurturing and Guiding Students, because as many positive influences that our students can have on their life, it builds them and supports them," Lott said.
The mentor program already took flight thanks to a partnership with Macedonia Church.
"It's going to be my hope, my vision, my dream that we get the entire church involved, both males and females to come here to Bruce Elementary School and to be able to come and to mentor, just to sit and talk to some of these young people, just so they can see a different person from a different perspective," Youth Pastor Belvin Ware said.
Ware hopes to instill accountability and integrity in the students he works with.
"And I do believe in order for us to be change agents in our community, we need to start promoting that village and it is going to take everybody," Ware said.
Lott hopes this partnership encourages mentors across Bibb county to step-up to help keep our youth on the right track.
"Then when they grow up and think back to how did I get here, there is a lot of times they say thank you," Lott said.
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