The Socorro Independent School District hosted the 11th Annual Building Ties Father-Son Conference for sixth to 12th grade boys and their fathers or father figures Sept. 24 at Montwood High School.
The goal of the popular family engagement event is to help fathers and sons unite and explore topics such as college opportunities, career choices, social and emotional awareness.
“This is an opportunity for them to be brought together,” said Adam Starke, SISD director of state and federal programs. “If we can be a part of building those ties and strengthening those bonds it's rewarding to us to be able to facilitate that.”
The more than 400 participants heard from keynote speaker Chuck Harré, participated together in fun physical activities, and learned about opportunities and resources in the district and the community through sessions and information booths.
Harré shared three key points with parents when it comes to building their relationships with their children: correcting, connecting and empowering.
The keynote speaker also took them through a series of interactive activities, including a 20 second hug and had the fathers and their sons write qualities they admire about each other on sticky notes to read aloud.
“Today was really fun and I learned a lot,” said Kadesh Reyes, a sixth-grade student at Montwood Middle School. “I liked learning that my father thinks of me as caring and intelligent, it made me feel really good.”
Jimmy Aleman, parent of a sixth-grade student at SSG. Manuel R. Puentes Middle School, said that he believes that in that same way you study to become whatever your desired profession is, is the same way parents should invest in their parenting skills.
“This is a great opportunity for fathers and sons to work on their relationships together,” Aleman said. “My biggest takeaway today is the district's investment in the relationships parents have with their children because they know it affects their success in the classroom. It’s important for students to see that school leaders care about every aspect of their lives.”
Another guest speaker at the conference, Christopher Brooks, said he was excited to share the experience with his own son.
“This event is amazing,” Brooks said. “Fatherhood can look like many things which is okay and today we learned how to build that bond.”
Father-Son Conference event photos
Published January 5, 2023
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