Riverdale High School Ninth Grade Academy Coordinator Jermale Jenkins has his hands full, but not all the time with school books.

Last week while he was assisting John Pham, a 15-year-old sophomore at the school, learn to tie a Windsor knot in his necktie as part of an impromptu dress for success program, he was advising another sophomore, Pierio Coleman, how to improve his resume and sharpen his job application and interview skills.

Although Jenkins remains passionate about the education of his young charges just as other Riverdale teachers, he has taken that desire a step further by teaching young males to strive for greater levels of personal and professional success through a mentoring program called Gentlemen of Quality-100.

More than 130 young men at the school between 14 and 18 are involved in the GQ-100 program which, Jenkins said, is designed to give its young men a strong foundation to not only be more productive in high school and college but achieve high career goals as working adults.

“We assist these young men on everything from showing them how to tie a necktie to conducting seminars on filling out resumes, enhancing interview skills, working with personal budgets and finance and even investing,” Jenkins said.

He added the group also focuses on educational activities such as visiting museums and touring college campuses.

“We are focused on exposing these young men to programs, activities and events they may not normally be exposed to,” Jenkins added.

GQ-100 began at Riverdale several years ago and building on this solid background, it has soared the past two years under Jenkins leadership.

Although the group is composed primarily of African-Americans, it is only due to that being a large majority of the student population there. Jenkins said the group welcomes all young men at the school to join.

However, as proud as he is of its racial diversity, Jenkins is just as proud of the group’s diversity in other areas. In addition to having school athletes and non-athletes, it claims as members the president of Riverdale’s National Honor Society and the Student Government Association as well as its DECA Club and even the drum major of the marching band.

“Our strength is based in our diversity and it is in that fact we pride ourselves,” Jenkins said. “Let’s not forget, every one of these young men is our future.”

Coleman, who in his second year with GQ-100, said he joined the group because it taught him how to be a leader.

“The group is taking boys and given them the foundation to be outstanding men,” Coleman said.

Pham, who joined GQ last year, said he was impressed by how it “helped guys get their life back on track.”

GQ is also starting to expand to other schools as efforts are under way to develop chapters at Charles Drew, Mt. Zion and Forest Park High Schools.

For more information on GQ at Riverdale or other Clayton schools, call (770) 473-2885.