Dads on duty

To GreyHawk Landing’s Chris Brown, women always have been the driving force around elementary schools in terms of volunteerism.

Since January, though, Brown has been able to change his own impression.

Brown is now part of an innovative program at B.D. Gullett Elementary called Watch DOGS —   Dads of Great Students. Fathers and male guardians of Gullett students are urged to spend an entire day at the school, helping with whatever is needed.

The goal is to allow men to be more involved, while also providing the school with an extra set of eyes and ears for security. Fathers can sign up for as many days as they have available.

Formerly a New York resident, Brown said the Parent Teacher Organizations in New York made him feel that “school is a ladies world.” However, he said things are different in Florida. 

“I really like the fact that they want the guys here,” he said. “It is very clear that they want dads at school, and I think that is a great thing.”

Brown gets to spend more time with his son, Matthew, a fourth-grader, and his daughter, Natalie, a second-grader. On the days he volunteers, he eats half his lunch with each child.

“I get to sit with my daughter, and all of her friends, and hear about what is going on in their second-grade girl world,” he said.

On the playground, he is giving high fives to his son and his friends while Natalie asks him to play Pac-Man with her during recess.

“I’m really glad I’ve done this,” he said. “The first day I was a little bit worried about what was going to happen, and I was having flashbacks from my old middle school years, but once I got the hang of it, it was really cool.”

Almost 400 people attended the PTO launch party for the program in January, said PTO Vice President Cristina Holland.

“Especially for the mothers who are always here volunteering, it is really refreshing to see the dads around,” Holland said. “Now, we have dads standing outside in the morning helping with drop-off. People have been talking about how excited the kids are about it.”

When Brown volunteered his first day, he was introduced through the school’s in-house television program.

“My kids didn’t tell me I was going to be on TV,” Brown said. “So, that was surprising. I just told myself to hold in the stomach, and to make sure that I didn’t look too stiff.”

Lakewood Ranch’s Randy Cody has completed three volunteer days since joining the program. When he volunteers, he is given a set of master keys and a radio.

He also gets to do some male bonding with the students.

“Some kids have no fatherly figure, so this fills that void as well,” Cody said. “One time I was here for Doughnuts with Dad and there was one student whose father wasn’t there. He gravitated toward me and asked me to be his dad for the day, and I did.”

Cody and Brown feel like celebrities when they walk through the hallways wearing their white Watch DOG shirts.

Their children have been proud, as well.

“I feel pretty cool when my dad is here,” Jake Cody said. “My friends really like him because he gives every single person a high five at lunch.”