Changing from boys to men. That's the goal of a Miami school that's targeting male students who might otherwise get into trouble.
"The teacher would say something to me and I would respond, and I'm not supposed to respond," admited 11-year-old Demetrious Wilkins, a student at the Downtown Miami Charter School.
He's proud of how far he's come.
"I used to just walk out of class without permission or nothing," he explained.
That's when he joined his school's Boys to Men program, an interactive group where 5th and 6th graders learn to make positive choices.
"Big changes versus him coming home and me turning my head and him getting into trouble or doing something he's not supposed to do, now he's coming home and ironing his clothes or getting his dress shirt and pants," said his mother, Octavia Collie-Bostick.
Once a week, they come to school wearing a shirt and tie.
"We have to look professional and like gentlemen," explained 12-year-old Mykeem Tyson.
Male mentors meet with them to provide positive examples, and they take field trips throughout the area.
"If I can get them young and teach them different social skills that they can use as they get older and take with them, that's a reward for me," said organizer Genvieve Stephenson.
They refer to each other as brothers.
"I've been one of the best behaved brothers. I didn't get into any trouble during the week," boasted Kymani Scotland.
"We all used to fight each other. Now we have to be respectful... they're real close to me now," Wilkins said.
But it's more than friends.
"We're boys and we're becoming men," Tyson added.
Follow Brent Solomon on Twitter at @solomonreports.
