Students at E.L. Haynes build communities in their classrooms and with their grades, but the work does not stop there. Haynes provides a wide variety of clubs and extracurricular activities that promote social intelligence, help students navigate group settings, and provide opportunities for mentorship.
As National Mentoring Month closes, we wanted to highlight one club celebrating its tenth anniversary at the high school: Boys 2 Men, a mentoring program for male-identifying students. Founded in 2015 by the late Adrian Taylor, a former E.L. Haynes social worker, Boys 2 Men has provided a space for students to process the stresses of high school life and discuss how to navigate the world as young men.
The club has evolved since its founding with new sponsors and cohorts of students. But one thing remains the same: Boys 2 Men allows students to be themselves, together.
Keylon Simpkins, 10th grade United States History teacher and member of the E.L. Haynes Board of Trustees, has sponsored the club since 2022. “One of the biggest changes is the focus on fellowshipping and information sharing,” Mr. Simpkins said. “Boys 2 Men has always been a space for the guys to get together, enjoy being around each other. I’ve had students tell me, ‘It’s just an open room for us to hang!’”
Each day the club meets looks a little different: sometimes it’s a Game Day, focused on board games and cards to center screenless interactions. Some days the club organizes community events, like their Winter Readiness donation drive, collecting jackets, food, and other supplies to help families get through the colder months. Other days, Mr. Simpkins and Mr. Jonathan Rudasill, the club’s co-sponsor, engage the students in a Boys 2 Men Talk about topics typically not discussed in classes, like how to set boundaries in relationships, maintaining healthy habits and hygiene, and developing constructive listening skills.
“They’re the type of conversations we feel would have benefitted us earlier in our lives,” Mr. Simpkins said.
“Mr. Simpkins realizes what it’s like to be a boy,” said Jekhi H., a 12th grader in Boys 2 Men. “Traditionally, men are supposed to be strong, look out for you, but at the end of the day they’re human beings with their own problems. I was able to talk about my problems in the club without judgement. I can actually grow as a man here.”
“Traditionally, men are supposed to be strong, look out for you, but at the end of the day they’re human beings with their own problems. I was able to talk about my problems in the club without judgement. I can actually grow as a man here.”
– Jekhi H., 12th Grade Student and Boys 2 Men Member
Senior Lance P. has been in the club since 10th grade, when Mr. Simpkins was his history teacher. “He joked, he made it funny. He talked about serious topics, but it made us comfortable,” Lance said. “Like our first lesson was about hygiene, and he spoke from a male standpoint, but also from a kid’s perspective because he was our age once.”
More than anything else, Boys 2 Men is a welcoming space for all students interested in joining. Gabe P., another Haynes senior and Boys 2 Men member, remembers his hesitancy to join the club. “Me and Mr. Simpkins used to butt heads a lot [in class], but towards the end of the year I started expressing my feelings with him, and he got why I was acting that way, and he started to help me more,” Gabe said. “At the end of the year, he recommended that I join Boys 2 Men the next year. One time I went, and I didn’t feel like a newcomer, I was just welcome.”
One of the dedicated aides at the high school, Eddy Reyes Hernandez, is a 2017 E.L. Haynes graduate who returned as a staff member. He recalled how the club created a space for boys across all grades in the high school to build a community together. “I also believe it creates that brotherhood, with underclassmen having upperclassmen to speak to about certain situations.” Mr. Reyes said. “Those connections are really special, and in a lot of high schools you don’t see seniors talking with freshmen, but here it’s different. Especially in that Boys 2 Men room, it doesn’t matter what grade you’re in. Everybody wants to see everyone do well.”
Written by Griffin Pepper | Griffin teaches 12th grade History at E.L. Haynes.
Editorial Fellows are E.L. Haynes staff with a penchant for storytelling, writing, and the visual arts. Fellows develop and publish original stories that amplify the many voices and perspectives of the E.L. Haynes community.