海角大神

Catching up with T.Mac Howard, who founded a private school here for at-risk young men a few years ago, can be a challenge. He runs the school, and he鈥檚 also its football coach, janitor, fundraiser, marketing guru, and bus driver.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty good at driving the bus,鈥� the father of three young boys quipped in a recent interview. 鈥淏ut everything else suffers.鈥�

Others, however, disagree, saying that Mr. Howard and the school 鈥� the Delta Streets Academy 鈥� have had an impact on this small city on the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta far beyond what could have been expected in such a short time.

Today, the school provides a 海角大神-based education to about 60 disadvantaged young African-American men in Grades 7 through 11, up from 14 students at its founding in 2012.

Plans call for further 鈥渞apid growth,鈥� including adding a 12th-grade class next year.

Gary Dyksterhouse, a local farmer and civic leader, says that it has been heartening to see the town鈥檚 churches, businesses, and people from all walks of life come together and volunteer their time and money to support Howard and his school.

Mr. Dyksterhouse has recently helped launch a campaign to enlist 1,000 supporters willing to commit $1,000 a year to the school, he says.

鈥淚t will be a slow process finding these donors,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut we believe the goal to be achievable with enough hard work, determination, and faith.鈥�

Howard and the school, accredited by the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools last fall, are playing an important role in moving Greenwood toward being a truly united city, Dyksterhouse says.

But the reality in Greenwood today suggests that achieving tomorrow鈥檚 hoped-for reality may take some time.

Greenwood (pop. 15,860) has been plagued by racial tension for decades. The first White Citizens鈥� Council, a white supremacist organization, was formed here in 1954, and the community continues to be sharply divided along racial lines.

Blacks make up roughly two-thirds of the population and live in poor neighborhoods literally across the railroad tracks from the relatively prosperous white residents, who make up less than one-third of the city鈥檚 population. Eight percent of local whites live below the poverty line, according to the 2010 US Census, compared with 49 percent of local African-Americans.

Asked if there is any interaction between the black and white communities, Howard replied, 鈥淣ot very much, unfortunately, although it鈥檚 slowly getting better.鈥�

Howard (born Thomas McMillin Howard) was raised in Brandon, Miss., some 110 miles to the south. He entered Mississippi State University in Starkville in 2003, and his first job following graduation in 2007 was teaching mathematics at Chastain Middle School in Jackson, the state鈥檚 capital and largest city. In 2008, he moved to Greenwood to teach at the city鈥檚 public high school.

After his sophomore year in college, Howard spent a semester working with Desire Street Ministries in New Orleans, tutoring poor children and teaching Bible studies in the Ninth Ward. It was an experience that had such a profound effect on him that later, soon after he began teaching at Greenwood High School, he concluded he could make a greater positive contribution to the lives of at-risk young black men by starting his own school, he says. He had found that there was (and still is) a lack of discipline at the high school, he says.

According to the Mississippi Department of Education, the graduation rate at Greenwood High School over the past five years has been only 67.4 percent. The department awarded the school an F for overall performance in the 2013-14 school year.

鈥淔or me,鈥� Howard says, 鈥渢he [public education] system that we were sending [students] through wasn鈥檛 functional.... When a kid can show up to your class 20 minutes late, and there are no consequences, it makes teaching really, really hard.鈥�

After making up his mind to start a school, he contacted Mo Leverett, founder of Desire Street Ministries, for advice. Their conversations also covered challenges such as poverty and racism.

鈥淭.Mac combines old-fashioned grit and determination with uncommon faith and compassion,鈥� Mr. Leverett says. 鈥淗is accomplishments in the Mississippi Delta are no surprise to me.

鈥淗e was a man on a mission when he arrived [at Desire Street Ministries]. I brag on his work everywhere I go.鈥�

At the Delta Streets Academy, housed for now in the First Baptist Church downtown at no charge, religion remains the 鈥渇oundation of what we do,鈥� Howard says. But he adds that enforcing rules, such as being seated in class when the bell rings and following the teacher鈥檚 instructions the first time they鈥檙e given, also plays a major role.

鈥淚f a student can鈥檛 figure out how to follow our rules,鈥� he says, 鈥渢hey don鈥檛 stay here.鈥�

Keeping the school all-male, he says, means that the school鈥檚 faculty and staff can focus on developing young men both spiritually and academically without 鈥渄istractions.鈥�

Several students, when asked what they liked about the school, said that they appreciated knowing that the rules would be enforced and that they would have a better chance there of living up to their parents鈥� expectations.

The school鈥檚 mission, however, is not to change behavior, Howard says.

鈥淚f a student comes from an adverse situation and wants to get out of that situation,鈥� he says, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a good chance he鈥檚 going to be successful here. But if he鈥檚 an at-risk student who鈥檚 enjoying what he鈥檚 doing, he鈥檚 going to have a hard time doing well here.鈥�

Many churches in the city support Howard because they recognize that what he鈥檚 doing is simply attempting to bring 鈥渞estoration, change, and hope into the lives he鈥檚 able to touch,鈥� and to help prepare young men from poor families 鈥渢o break the cycle of poverty that鈥檚 held them captive,鈥� says the Rev. Richard Owens, senior minister at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenwood.

But beyond that, Mr. Owens says, Howard urges white churches and civic organizations to take part in what Owens calls the 鈥渄eep healing of racial tensions鈥� and to help bridge the gap 鈥渋n a society still recovering from segregation.... He鈥檚 a window into a world that many [white] 海角大神s in Greenwood didn鈥檛 know existed.鈥�

Delta Streets Academy is supported almost exclusively through private donations and charity events, such as the annual Delta Streets Charity Weekend, which has brought in more than $100,000 so far. The school currently has an annual budget of just under $500,000. Students pay $75 a month to attend.

鈥淭he most rewarding thing [for me],鈥� Howard says, 鈥渋s to see how the community has rallied around these guys [and to see] how they have grown.鈥� He expects the school鈥檚 entire graduating class next year to go on to college or university 鈥� and all on scholarships.

Yet the school remains very much a work in progress, he concedes.

What has he learned so far? That setting and enforcing rules makes sense, he says. That discipline is important, as is making sure that the students know that their actions have consequences.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there will ever be a cookie-cutter answer,鈥� Howard says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still figuring it out.鈥�

鈥� Learn more at .

How to take action

helps people give to and volunteer for top-performing charitable organizations around the world. All the projects are vetted by Universal Giving; 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the listed cause. Below are links to groups that help children and teens around the United States:

鈥� improves the lives of youths by providing education and promoting the protection of children鈥檚 rights. Take action: .

鈥� rescues children from the ravages of prostitution. Take action: .

鈥⒙� serves at-risk children in urban and rural poverty in five US states by offering free vision screenings and eyeglasses. Take action: .