All Pro Dads program offered at Sumner Hill
By Lexey Monceaux
CPSD Communication Intern
At Sumner Hill Junior High, dads are coming together for All Pro Dad’s Day, a monthly meeting that encourages and teaches dads, or the main guardian in a student’s life, to embolden, connect with, and feel confident that they are loving their child well.
The hope of the sessions is to bring dads together with their student, to strengthen the bond that they have and to encourage open communication between the two.
Sessions are the last Thursday of each month at 4:15 p.m., at the Sumner Hill library. Meetings are 45 minutes long and include a video, a presentation, and group discussion. A different topic is discussed at each meeting, ranging from initiative and why it’s important for your student to have it, to positivity and how having a positive attitude can determine our success.
The All Pro Dads chapter at Sumner Hill is headed up by Dr. Corky Wicks, father of three. Dr. Wicks has a heart for bridging the gap between fathers and their children and hopes that through these sessions dads will have, “a chance to create some dialogue between themselves and their child and foster a chance for us as fathers to come together and connect as well.”
During the sessions Dr. Wicks wants to create an equal opportunity environment where kids and adults can share their experiences and voice their truth. For the fathers and family members that attend these sessions the information is priceless, Julius Waddell’s reason for attending is simple, “he’s my guy,” he said about his son, “anything I can do to be better for him, I’m going to do it.”
The resources available once part of All Pro Dads are useful, practical tools for fathers to engage with their student; conversation topics, activities, and advice on being a father and becoming a better husband as well.
As students grow older the way they interact with their parents’ changes, but, “No matter what,” as Dr. Wicks said, “you are a father forever.” Dr. Wicks encourages everyone to check out the website and is looking forward to engaging with more dads and their freshman at the next All Pro Dads session on Sept. 27.