January 2017 – When Mrs. McGhee became the Principal of Somerset Preparatory Academy
at North Lauderdale a couple of years ago, she was determined to give all the students on the K-12 campus a fighting chance to succeed. She added AP classes, dual enrollment courses, individualized tutoring, and a STEM program. She also made a bold move to support her students beyond the traditional classroom offerings. That’s how the Ladies of Elegance and Boys 2 Men mentor programs came to be.
The Boys 2 Men program shares, teaches and demonstrates the principles of manhood, enabling young men to achieve their dreams and become men who are strong, responsible and productive citizens in their communities during their time with us and throughout their lives. The Ladies of Elegance programs provides young women with opportunities to meet successful women, discuss career options, and prepare for life after high school graduation.
“We aim to teach and instill the morals of integrity, responsibility, respect, honesty, patience, discipline, and courage,” explains Mrs. McGhee. “Our goal with these mentoring programs is to continue to lead our youth into the right direction, by building positive interactions between our students and community advocates, increase their confidence level, show our members positive ways and alternatives to a variety of situations, by teaching diversity, leadership, cultural awareness, coping skills, building self-esteem all while discovering one’s strength and abilities.”
Both the Ladies of Elegance and Boys 2 Men mentor programs have been incredibly successful – helping young men and women see the potential they have and the opportunities that are available to them.