Non-traditional mentor helps students flourish at school focused on turning struggles into strengths
From his first interaction with a group of teens at Logos School in Olivette, Mo., when he gave them each a soft plastic swimming pool noodle and told them to start whacking each other with them, it was clear that Earnest Hart isn’t a typical student mentor. The energetic noodling icebreaker lasted about a minute before the students, some of whom previously rarely smiled, dissolved into laughter, and the stage was set for the beginning of a remarkable relationship that is changing lives.
The non-profit Logos, an exceptional non-traditional school whose mission is to inspire hope, build self-confidence and turn struggles into strengths, began working with Hart last fall. As the first outside mentor ever engaged as a consultant by Logos to work with its students who come from communities across the St. Louis region, Hart was tasked with helping to fulfill the school’s mission. In recent months, in addition to working to build the students’ self-confidence, he has been building their self-respect — as well as their respect for others — with an innovative and fun program that’s transforming the teens who participate.
Among them is Maggie Stebelman, (16) who teachers and staff note has blossomed from a shy, self-conscious, quiet observer into an enthusiastic, confident and engaged student who is taking what she’s learning during her sessions with Hart and starting to apply it in other classes and life in general. And it’s largely because of the unique way this new mentor is connecting with her and the other students as he works with groups of four to six at a time, twice a week, for two hours per session.
“His last name totally represents him because he is all heart,” notes Stebelman. “There’s no pressure here; he’s tough but also funny, laid back and encouraging, and he gives positive feedback that makes you feel good.”
A St. Louis-native and former world kickboxing champion who escaped the perilous streets of his own childhood, Hart’s personal background makes him uniquely qualified to help the students at Logos who are all considered at-risk. He grew up in downtown St. Louis housing projects, where at an early age, he learned to dive into a cast iron bathtub for protection when gunfire erupted on the street. A small kid, his father told him if he didn’t learn how to protect himself, he would be dead before turning 15. So, over time, Hart earned a black belt in 15 different martial arts and became a world-class kickboxing champion who toured the world. Later, he appeared in Hollywood movies like “Batman & Robin,” and “Mortal Kombat,” among others, and has been in action scenes with actors George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a consultant and trainer in self-defense, Hart’s clients have included Ozzie Smith and the St. Louis Rams football team that won the Super Bowl in 2000. He currently consults privately with civic organizations, schools and families in the St. Louis area, and now with Logos.
The teens he serves at Logos deal with emotional or behavioral problems that, in a traditional school, may be evident in learning disabilities, low test scores, disciplinary problems and factors that may lead to academic failure or dropping out of school. Hart has been using his passion for martial arts and past experiences to mentor and inspire these students, using an interactive approach to encourage character building and personal growth. Sessions at Logos feature martial arts demonstrations, conflict resolution strategies, advice about developing self-respect and respect for others — plus advice that encourages non-violence and personal growth. In terms of making a positive difference for the kids, the sessions seem to be working.
“I can’t tell you how powerful what he’s doing actually is,” notes Head of School Kathy Boyd-Fenger, Ph.D. “The kids in these sessions seem to be more focused, attentive, working with their peers and listening — we are getting good feedback.”
Boyd-Fenger, along with Associate Head of School Lou Reuss, M.A.T, engaged Hart’s services after he was recommended by a board member and carefully vetted. Reuss personally trained with Hart to become more familiar with his techniques and the key learnings he could impart to Logos students in order to gauge if the match-up would be a good one.
“Earnest connected with the kids right away, and vice versa,” said Lou “He began the conversation by discussing the pros and cons of his struggles as a young man growing up, instantly connecting with kids who had struggles in their own history and still have struggles today. Then he took things to a physical level and got the kids moving around with basic martial arts movements that he showed them as a way to loosen up.”
The life lessons Hart introduced right at the start in between jabs and sidekicks are punctuated with a healthy dose of self-depreciating humor and seem to resonate with the students: Show respect for each other; listen to what people are saying — and listen to their response; don’t interrupt anyone; wait your turn to speak, and understand that knowing how to be respectful and handle communications will impact success in life.
The first session, and those that have followed, proved dynamic to watch, as administrators and teachers got to see kids who hadn’t previously been physical suddenly smiling and moving around with Hart and other students and barriers between the kids were slowly but surely removed.
Brendon Bay (18) who has participated in several sessions with Hart, considers the martial arts program like being part of a family in which he and the other students have all became friends. He notes that he’s learning how to have better self-control, become more disciplined, and how to treat women, and feels refreshed mentally. Even Brendan Hanneken (16 ), who has only participated in a couple of sessions but would like to attend more, schedule permitting, describes Hart as encouraging and someone who is there to help make sure if a kid is knocked down, they get back up again.
Teacher Ellie Rosenblatt cites Hart’s ability to connect with the students as a contributing factor to the positive reaction the kids have, and the positive changes they are witnessing in the kids. “He does an amazing job, talking to them, not at them,” she states. “His ability to teach social skills and life skills is helping the students be prepared, whether it’s during social conflicts or should they find themselves in a dangerous situation.”
Hart also is pleased to see the impact his work is already having. “Working with kids is the most special thing I do in my life,” said Hart. “The common denominator is that all kids need self-confidence, and it is important for them to develop it while they are young. I tell them, ‘We’re going to work to become the best people we can be.’”
While the logos administrators don’t have a lot of data about these sessions yet because the relationship is still pretty new, they do have visual results in the changed attitudes of the students who’ve had the opportunity to participate. And they are starting to see a decrease in some of the negative behaviors they had seen in the kids before Hart got involved at Logos.
“Over the longer term, through data collection and analysis, we hope to see a direct correlation between time they spend in sessions with Earnest and improved coping skills among the kids,” said Boyd-Fenger. “While we’ve been fortunate that a generous donor is making it possible for us to work with Earnest this year, we will need a grant for this great work to continue for the long haul.”
“Part of our mission is to give kids the tools they need to help them be successful,” she added. “I think that what Earnest does matches our mission.”
About Logos School
A not-for-profit educational corporation under the laws of the State of Missouri, Logos originated in 1970 as a school for at-risk students who struggled to conform to the structure of traditional schools. Regardless of their academic ability, all students had social and/or emotional challenges that might have caused them to fail in the traditional school setting. Therefore, student therapy was always part of the program. This continues to be true for the population today. Over the years, the need has increased to allow Logos to add a middle school (6th, 7th, & 8th grades). This enables us to reach adolescents at an earlier age and provide structure and support for them and their families. During the 40+ year history of the school, more than 1,000 at-risk adolescents have received their high school diploma with many more successfully mainstreaming back into their traditional schools. Today, Logos School has an enrollment of approximately 100 students. Of those who graduated from Logos, more than 90 percent have gone on to college.
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For more information, contact:
Julie Hauser
(314) 436-9090