John Peter “J.P.” King is doing his part to help minority males have a better life.

The sophomore at Bowsher High School is president of the Student African-American Brotherhood (SAAB), which “helps people get out of trouble,” he said.

King

The group meets Tuesday mornings before school and works together to help everyone, King said. All of the Toledo area chapters meet once a month at the University of Toledo Medical Center. The organization is not geared toward only black males; it works with all minority groups, King said. There is also a separate organization for females.

Committees within SAAB help students in different ways. One works with academics, where students tutor other members who are struggling with certain subjects, King said. They also have a social committee that plans events like bowling and going to the movies.

The group hosts a community service activity once a week. Members went to the YMCA to help them wrap presents and they also have served food at the Cherry Street Mission.

SAAB began at the university level and Bowsher High School was one of the first 10 high schools in the country to start the organization, said Jesse Duckworth, SAAB faculty adviser at Bowsher.

Duckworth oversees the program with the assistance of King. He chose King as president because he is responsible.

“He’s someone I can count on. He’s always there and on time,” said Duckworth, who is an assistant principal at Bowsher.

King is an honors student who plays football, baseball and recently started running track. He learned many of his leadership skills from sports. For example, he attended a football leadership academy, which took place after morning practices in the summer. He also is involved with Cornerstone Church. He participates in its life youth ministry, which is for seventh to 12th graders, he said.

King’s favorite subject is math and he wants to go to school to become a cardiovascular surgeon, he said.

Although, he is only a sophomore, he has looked into the University of Iowa and the University of Michigan for their good premedical program.

King became interested in cardiovascular surgery because one of his mother’s friends is a cardiovascular surgeon. King did some research on cardiovascular surgery and decided that was what he wanted to pursue, he said.

King lives with his mother and credits her for his success in school and extracurricular activities, he said.

“She just always looked out for me and basically she took good care of me,” he said.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 20th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Brain Gain, Community.
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