Lessons in what it means to be a man

Greg Spink talks to the students about the MAN UP program.

By Ralph Pokorny

Nevada Daily Mail

"We're going to give you a chance to step into manhood," Greg Spink told about 150 Nevada High School junior and senior boys during a MAN UP workshop at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center Monday.

Spink was one several speakers talking to the students about how to make ethical choices in life and answering questions that trouble all teenagers who are soon to face the world outside the confines of their families and school.

In addition to the speakers, local men were recruited to serve as mentors to the students during the day-long event.

"I liked the speakers. They were really with it," Alex Payne said, after having a Kansas City strip lunch, with the steak grilled by Mark Mendenhall.

"What they said made sense," Clay Regers said.

"The mentors are taking the day from work to participate," Crystal Burch said Monday.

"We tried to find a good cross section of the community," she said.

Mentors included construction workers, carpenters, doctors, human resource professionals and even a police chief.

"No teachers were asked to be mentors so what the kids say can be taken in confidence," Burch said.

To facilitate an open exchange with the boys during the RANT Burch said they had a secure line set up so they could ask questions with a text message.

Then Dr. Karl Wendt, a marriage and family therapist from Joplin, and a panel would respond with a scientific based answer, Burch said.

She said that these are all question they are asking in class and around school.

The message to the students was that "everything we teach you will really work," Burch said.

Wendt, also gave a presentation to the students on the science behind the relationship between sex and the brain.

Ricky Fast from Liberal, Mo. talked to the boys about purity, marriage and respect towards women.

Greg Spink was the emcee for the day and talked about the MAN UP program.

Burch said that Joy Hawks saw the program last year in Joplin and thought it would be good to bring it to Nevada.