On March 29^th, 2017, the Winter Springs High School’s Young Men of Excellence program took a field trip and went to Keeth Elementary School. The young men went and had lunch with the children, while also talking and reading books of their choice to them.

The students read and talked to children of different grades. First they sat and read to the Kindergarteners outside in the picnic tables. As the ages got older, they were able talk more, and read more intellectual books with the children.

Winter Springs’ Men of Excellence program is looking to build a partnership with Keeth Elementary School, in which will consist of them coming to spend time with the students once a week and talk to them and be an older friend to them. Students enjoyed spending time with the children and getting to know them. The children and teachers of Keeth Elementary also were very grateful and overjoyed to have the students from Men of Excellence come and hang out with them.

Students from Winter Springs High seemed to have enjoyed themselves just as much as the children. In fact, the vice president of Young Men of Excellence, Demontae Randall, gave his opinion based off of his own experience.

“For me, it was a very great experience going to spend time with the kids. I think that I enjoyed it so much because I remember being that age and I remember thinking how cool it would’ve been to have a high school friend. I think that the bonus for them is that we actually want to help them in and any way we can because we can relate to them, being that age once. I honestly wish that I has a positive high school friend to talk to when I was that age, so for us to have the opportunity to be that for them, actually means a lot”

Although this was the first visit for the Men of Excellence Department, it definitely won’t be the last as they aim to build some sort of “big brotherhood” with the students this year, and for years to come.