New program offers mentoring, positive male role models

By MELISSA KLARIC

Herald Staff Writer

FARRELL – Prince of Peace Center has launched the Q Academy, an innovative new educational and mentoring program designed to support underserved male youth in seventh through 12th grades who lack the presence and influence of a positive male role model in their lives.

The program, set to begin at the start of this school year, is being piloted with the Sharon City School District, whose leadership recognized the need for such an initiative in the community.

“We understand the importance of targeting young men earlier to teach them things we want them to learn,” said Sarah Worthington, CEO of Prince of Peace Center.

Worthington said the focus of Q Academy is about building confident, capable and community-minded young men who will become the next generation of leaders in the community.

Students will engage in hands-on learning experiences covering topics such as conflict resolution, coping skills, understanding mental health, financial literacy, time management, car maintenance, professional dress – including how to tie a tie – and effective communication.

The mentoring program was inspired by the current chairman of the roard at the Prince of Peace Center, Bob Ryhal, paying tribute in the name – Q Academy – of a significant role model in Ryhal’s formative years.

“As a young man, I lacked the influence of a positive father figure,” said the owner of Ryhal & Associates Inc, a fire and explosion investigation and consultation company. “This absence of a strong male presence persisted until I encountered Quentin Gosser during my sophomore year of high school. Quentin, a businessman from Greenville, embodied faith, devotion as a father and husband, and true gentlemanly qualities. The impression he left on me was indelible and I wanted to become a family man, and hopefully a father one day, in his likeness.”

Gosser, who died in 2019 at the age of 91, was a Korean War veteran and owner of

See MENTORING, page A-2

A student’s notebook and binder for the Prince of Peace Q Academy at Sharon High School.

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Jacob Yudt, a Prince of Peace youth intervention specialist, talks to a Q Academy class at Sharon High School.

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Program offers positive male role models, mentoring for youth

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Gosser Gift and Office Supply in Greenville. He was active with the Greenville Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, Greenville High School football club and band parents’ club president, and was a member for many years at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Embracing the qualities of Ryhal’s role model and others like him, Q Academy aims to nurture positive self-esteem, instill community responsibility and introduce career opportunities for its participants through four dynamic program modules which include: intro to the program; social-emotional regulation; life skills and vocational opportunities.

Beyond the classroom, participants will gain volunteer, job shadowing and career placement opportunities to help prepare them for lifelong success.

“One of the biggest parts of the program is the male mentoring,” Worthington said. “Identifying and engaging men from our community has been integral.”

Right now, they have most of the male role models coming in for the class, and are looking for more.

“They come in and add their story and give their personal and professional advice,” Worthington said. “Leaders and members of our community to be that positive influence and be those mentors for what kids want to be in the future.”

Prince of Peace Center is actively seeking male mentors, financial partners, and local businesses willing to offer volunteer placements, job shadowing or employment opportunities for participants.

“For many, a positive mentor is missing in their lives,” said Justi Glaros, superintendent of Sharon City School District. “Bob’s story is inspiring, and we appreciate his desire to pay it forward. And we are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Prince of Peace staff and community in providing real world experiences for our young men.”

Prince of Peace Center is able to extend this class thanks to the organizations whose grant funding has made this program possible by Buhl Regional Health Foundation, FNB, Blanche M. Walsh Charity Trust, Catholic Foundation of Northwest PA, Catholic Charities Inc., and the Strimbu Memorial Fund.

“At Buhl Regional Health Foundation, we know that mental wellness begins with connection and support—and that real change happens when communities come together,” said Kimberly Porsch, director of grantmaking. “The program aligns with our commitment to youth wellness and reflects our belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to feel seen, supported, and set up for success. Q Academy is a powerful example of what’s possible through collaboration.”

Worthington said they have been preparing for the class for 15 months.

“It has been a lot of work, time and effort,” Worthington said. “It feels like we’re coming to the finish line but we’re still just coming to the starting period.”

Email Melissa Klaric at mklaric@ sharonherald.com

A student takes notes during the Prince of Peace Q Academy program at Sharon High School.

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