It's not quite a village, but a battery of community organizations are joining hands to help Taft High School football players get their grades up to be eligible to play on the team.

        According to Taft football coach Mike Martin, 55 of the 80 students who signed up to play football are not eligible because of low grades.

        The Urban League of Greater Cincinnati has started a program, called “Coach Initiative,” to provide tutors and mentors for the students.

        “We want to help those who are eligible to keep their grades up, and work with those not eligible to raise their grades,” said Rochelle Morton, senior director for the league's Campaign for African American Achievement.

        Organizations that have offered to help are: the Genesis Men's Program, which operates a learning center a block from the school; the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, the Sentinels, a union representing 260 African-American police officers; the Darwin Turner Scholarship program at the University of Cincinnati and the Procter & Gamble Co.

        “This will be a continuation of what we are already doing at Taft with the girls' basketball and volleyball teams,” said Wendell Ellis, director of the Genesis Men's Program. “We were able to increase their grades while the basketball team compiled a 17-3 record this season.”

        Mr. Ellis said the center's involvement included more than just tutoring to improve grades, but to help the students become involved in the community and teach them to understand responsibility.

        “Once they become involved in community activities they understand what it means to give back to their community,” Mr. Ellis said.

        Scott Johnson, president of the Sentinels, said he has about 12 officers who have committed to the program.

        “We are going to do what we can,” Mr. Johnson said. “It is now a matter of matching the officers with the students. I think we can help bring Taft back to what it once was in the classroom and on the field.”

        Dave Dierker, athletic manager for the Cincinnati Public School District, said the state requires that students maintain a 2.0 grade point average to participate in sports.

        But the Cincinnati Public Schools require that the students must pass five classes in each quarter to play sports, regardless of what the GPA is.

        Before this year that meant the student could not play sports even if the student had four A's and one F, which would be a GPA of about 3.1.

        “This year we will have a little leeway with an in-school intervention program,” Mr. Dierker said. “Students with a 1 to 2 GPA can go into this program and still play athletics while getting their grades up to 2.0.”

        Ms. Morton said most of the tutors and mentors will be matched with students starting next week.

        Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.
       

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