Men welcome students back in Camden with encouragement

The teenage boys and girls shuffled past the line of well-dressed men lining their path to Camden High School on Tuesday morning, some of them reaching out hesitantly for handshakes and smiling shyly as they were greeted by a chorus of "Welcome back!" and "Have a great year!"

Just before 8, as the last stragglers trickled in, cheers erupted as one boy stretched out his arms on both sides as he navigated the receiving line, catching high-fives on both hands. Some girls accepted long-stemmed roses as they walked into school.

"A lot of kids who left the house this morning might not have had any positive encouragement," said Rashaan Hornsby, 34, of Camden, one of about 55 men who assembled to greet the students on their first day of school. "We're here to show them that emotion, that expression of love. Some of them, they don't have anybody who really cares about them."

Another group of men greeted students at Woodrow Wilson High for their first day. Similar gatherings, known as "100-man greetings," have been held recently in cities including Chicago, Boston, and Harrisburg. The events were two of many held Tuesday around Camden as the district's traditional public schools opened for the year.

State-appointed Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard led members of the advisory board and Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd on a tour of several of the district's traditional public schools, which have about 9,000 students. Later Tuesday, Golden State Warriors forward Jason Thompson, from Mount Laurel, gave away book bags filled with supplies at R.T. Cream Family School.

Camden has historically been one of the lowest-performing districts in the state, with the graduation rate hovering near 50 percent in recent years. Sixty-two percent of the Class of 2014 graduated on time, according to district officials, compared with 56 percent in 2013.

The gatherings at Camden High and Woodrow Wilson were organized by a group of activists who wanted to offer students at the city's two biggest high schools a visual reminder of positive role models in the city.

Many of the men, who displayed a banner that read, "Welcome back, kings and queens, make it a good year," were Camden High graduates. Hornsby, a member of the Class of 1999, owns a local record and management company, and also coaches the Centerville Simbas, a Camden youth football organization.

Micah Khan, whose father, Amir, was an organizer, said Camden kids need to be reminded that they can succeed.

"It's letting them know that people who look like you can make something of themselves," he said. "Not everybody's selling drugs."

Acting Camden High principal Scott Shanklin said he hoped the gesture would have an effect on the students who need support the most.

"It's about knowing that your community has your back," he said. "These men care about you."