THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 8, 1994 TAG: 9411080332
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Two local counties are combining federal and state dollars to help students from three age groups boost one another's educations.
Currituck and Pasquotank counties, selected this fall for both federal AmeriCorps and state Support Our Students programs, publicly launched one of their projects Monday in separate meetings.
College hopefuls, middle-school students and pre-school youngsters will be the beneficiaries.
``It's a chance for me to get the training that I need . . . and also to be able to help children right now instead of sitting here waiting,'' said 20-year-old Naomi Russell, an aspiring teacher who introduced herself at a news conference for Currituck's AmeriCorps program.
The national movement, spearheaded by President Clinton, aims to help students earn college money while serving their communities in one of four social areas. North Carolina's participating counties are focusing on education.
The 18 local AmeriCorps participants, nine each in Currituck and Pasquotank, will serve 900 hours in the program, working with elementary and middle school students in after-school settings, 4-H clubs and day-camp programs.
The students will receive $4.25 an hour living expense, and, in a year, will receive an additional $2,363 for school tuition or other costs.
``They really gain valuable training,'' said Rodney Sawyer of the Currituck Cooperative Extension Service, the sponsoring agency for the county's AmeriCorps program. ``They can use those skills in school and employment.''
In a partnership across grant programs, four AmeriCorps participants in both Currituck and Pasquotank will help their county's Support Our Students project, an initiative of Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.'s targeting at-risk middle school kids.
Pasquotank's SOS program was introduced at a public meeting at Elizabeth City Middle School on Monday. Twenty-five students identified as drop-out risks because of academic or other troubles are now called Super Kids.
Their job: to act as mentors for pre-elementary Head Start children.
About half of Pasquotank's Super Kids attended the morning meeting, reciting a poem called ``Little Students Follow Me'' as a sort of oath of office.
``You can do better than what you're doing,'' education consultant Andy Canady told the children, assembled with their parents and representatives of the City Council, police and school system. ``And we're going to prove it to you.''
The Pasquotank SOS participants will receive minimum wage as they work with the smaller children, said program director Peggy F. Bateman.
``When you go to the bank to cash your check, you feel good about yourself,'' Bateman said. ``Our main goal is to try to get them focused and have direction. A lot of young people feel like that they are in a hopeless situation. . . . We want to show them there is an alternative.''
Pasquotank's SOS program is being overseen by the Economic Improvement Council, but the group will work with the Pasquotank Cooperative Extension Service to coordinate AmeriCorps workers in a kids-helping-kids-helping-kids situation.
Pasquotank Agricultural Extension Agent Travis Burke said the recent flow of grants into the area belies conventional wisdom that Northeastern North Carolina is overlooked by higher powers.
``We've got our chance now,'' Burke said. ``This is really a chance to try to improve the quality of life here. If, again, the community gets behind it.'' by CNB