By SCOTT D. JOHNSTON

An informal group of parents and educators met last Tuesday at North Beach Jr./Sr. High School to talk about starting a program called “Watch D.O.G.S.” As envisioned locally, it would be a way to organize and oversee people who are willing to volunteer for as little as one day a year to be present in North Beach schools as positive role models and an extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying.

The discussion last week sprang from a meeting March 14 of more than 80 parents, students, former and current school employees and others; and the North Beach School Board’s March 20 dismissal of superintendent Deborah Holcomb.

Wendy McCoy, NBHS vice-principal, led the discussion, which included Mike Armbruster, a new Ocean Shores resident whose son, Garrett, is a sophomore at NBHS. Armbruster had relayed to the March 14 meeting his 12 years of experience with the Watch D.O.G.S. program in Bremerton area schools. He said he sees the need locally and offered to help start it here.

Also present in March and last week were Larry Moore, NBHS athletic director, and art teacher Richard Villar, both of whom spoke at both meetings about the value of positive role models in the schools.

Watch D.O.G.S. (the acronym stands for Dads Of Great Students) began in 1998 at a single school in Springdale, Ark., and has since “brought hundreds of thousands of fathers and father figures into the school classrooms and hallways across the country,” according to the group’s website, dadsofgreatstudents.com.

The idea locally, McCoy explained, is to launch the program for the 2018-19 school year and include not just dads, but “anybody who wants to support our students.” She said the purpose fits nicely with the school district’s mission, of “building our future together, unlocking potential one student at a time.”

McCoy and Armbruster have already offered to fill two key roles that the Watch D.O.G.S. model calls for, a school representative and a “Top Dog” coordinator of volunteers. She will be seeking input from teachers regarding needs in their classrooms.

The program exists in two versions, one for middle schools and high schools, and another for elementary schools. They plan to begin with the next school year at NBHS and hope to add the district’s elementary schools in coming years. Armbruster, who helped start and run the program at Mountain View Middle School in Bremerton, said 6-12 volunteers would be needed to start here.

Locally, volunteers will function at two levels, McCoy explained: those “who work with children under supervision of a district employee,” and “volunteers who work with students individually outside of supervision,” such as volunteer coaches. The first group requires a routine Washington State background check, while the second calls for a deeper check including fingerprinting.

Armbruster said, although the program requires only a few hours of training and the commitment to just one day a year, “it’s usually contagious. I guarantee, you’re going to want to come back.” He added that “people are willing to volunteer if they know they can impact a young life,” and many “retired people look at our kids as the future, and they want to help.”

A kickoff event will be at the high school, tentatively scheduled Aug. 28. In the meantime, contact McCoy through the main phone number for NBHS, 360-289-3888. Armbruster can be reached through his Facebook page.