Office of Public Relations
Missouri Baptist University
One College Park Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141-8698
314.392.2307 / fax 314.392.2265
www.mobap.edu / pr@mobap.edu
For Immediate Release
RE: Teach
Teach
June 26, 2006
Beaumont High School Principal Travis Brown will do whatever it takes to get kids to school.
Before the first bell rings at Beaumont rings, Brown can typically be found driving around the school’s north St. Louis City neighborhood in an effort to get students in the classroom.
Brown recently went so far as to ask owners of a neighborhood grocery store where Beaumont students commonly frequent to not open their business until after school began for the day. It worked.
The 1973 MBU Alumni’s proactive approach to school attendance is apparently indicative of his style of leadership.
“Normally, Mr. Brown is wearing tennis shoes,” said Beaumont Teacher Bonita Hood, a twenty-seven year veteran of the St. Louis City Public School District. “He’s always running around this school. He’s taken a vested interest in this school and the students. Our students really trust Mr. Brown and respect him.”
Brown, whose storied career in education has included stints as a teacher, counselor, basketball coach and assistant principal, has been at the helm of Beaumont since 1999. His desire to have a meaningful relationship with all of his students has, in part, changed the school’s climate over the years.
“Since he has come here the whole culture has changed. Are school is a family atmosphere now,” said, vice principal of Beaumont “Mr. Brown is truly a father figure to these students.”
Walking down a hallway at Beaumont one day this past March, Brown randomly asked a student to repeat the school’s motto.
“Not at Beaumont, sir,” the student said with a smile.
The motto, “Not at Beaumont,” permeates the school’s way of life.
“I can’t control what happens on the streets of this neighborhood,” said Brown, pointing out a window of the first-floor of Beaumont. “But I can control the environment within this school. This school is a safe haven, a learning atmosphere. It’s not going to happen at Beaumont.”
Brown believes in celebrating success.
Every semester, Brown takes any Beaumont student who garners a 4.0 GPA during a semester out to an upscale restaurant. The students travel to the restaurant via a limousine.
In partnership with 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis, Beaumont has started the“Young Gentlemen’s Club,” an organization dedicated to producing future male leaders from Beaumont.
“This isn’t a job to me, this is a passion,” Brown said. “The personal touch, the personal relationship of teaching these students is really a joy. I love what I do. It isn’t work to me at all.”
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and final feature in a series of stories about how MBU constituents are changing the world.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Intergenerational Teaching
The OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program matches volunteers, over fifty, with students in grades K-3 who need help developing reading and language skills. Volunteers work one-on-one with children, for one hour a week during the school day. OASIS tutoring is offered in twenty-eight St. Louis area public school districts.
For more information, contact St. Louis OASIS:
Carol Ottsen, tutoring coordinator
(314) 995-9506
De Harris (618) 465-1490
www.oasisnet.org/stlouis
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri pairs adults with children who are in serious need of a mentor, creating unique and powerful relationships.
Opportunities to get involved can be tailored to meet the needs of every schedule and lifestyle. You can become a Big Brother or Big Sister and meet with your Little Brother or Sister at a church, school or even your workplace through our Site-based programs. Or you can pick your Little Brother or Sister up from their home and go to the mall, the museum or just watch movies at your house in our Community-based program. You can even volunteer with a friend or your spouse! Busy individuals who find it difficult to make a long-term commitment can help kids through being a Big For A Day.
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4625 Lindell Boulevard
Suite 501
Saint Louis, MO 63108
Phone: (314)361-5900
Fax: (314) 361-4484
info@bbbsemo.org
Saint Charles
1236 Jungermann
Suite G-1
Saint Peters, MO 63376
Phone: (636) 939-2227
Fax: (636) 928-3329
Cape Girardeau
1028 North Kingshighway
A - 3
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
Phone: (573) 339-0184
Fax: (573) 339-1518
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Missouri Baptist University is a premier Christian university in Saint Louis, offering graduate and undergraduate studies in over thirty specialized fields and nine degrees. MBU's education and fine arts programs are nationally known in addition to business, religion, administration of justice, and more. MBU is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Missouri with an enrollment of over 4,500 students at five locations in the bi-state region — West County, Lincoln County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the new Illinois extension at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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