Fathers Serve As "Watch Dogs" At Orenic School

Photo: Doug Binns, parent of William B. Orenic Intermediate School student Ada Binns, recently served as a “Watch Dog” at the school. They are pictured here with W.B.O. teacher Ann Provencher, left, and W.B.O. Assistant Principal Kaitlin Curran, right.

The Watch Dog program at Troy’s William B. Orenic Intermediate School has seen fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other family members rotate through the school to give support to their children and the teachers.

W.B.O. Assistant Principal Kaitlin Curran said about 30 Watch Dogs have served the school this year alone.

“The purpose of the Watch Dog program is to bring more male volunteers into the school and make a positive impact on our students,” Curran said. “The program is available to all fathers or father figures in the students’ lives.”

The dads arrive early in the morning to help greet students as they enter the school. Each then follows his child through classes, assists with classroom activities where appropriate, and sometimes eats lunch with his child at the end of the shift.

They also serve as great role models for other students at the school.

Doug Binns served as a W.B.O. Watch Dog this year. His daughter is Ada Binns, a 6th grader. He has also volunteered as a mentor in a similar program at Troy Shorewood Elementary School.

“I like to see them at their day-to-day ‘job,’” he said. “What they do, how they do it, how they interact with other kids. I think it’s important to be a parent who is involved in my daughter’s education.”

Binns followed Ada to her first five classes of the day, which included English language arts, social studies, math, speech and science, where he was able to share his knowledge of the types of rocks.

“I highly recommend it,” he said of being involved in the Watch Dogs program. “It was worth taking the morning off work to do it.”

William B. Orenic Intermediate School is a Troy Community School District 30-C school.