Since late September, Principal Jeffrey Stichler took the wheel of the Men of Distinction club, accelerating its arrival after a year of inaction. Membership applications requiring teacher recommendation closed Oct. 2, but will reopen when the group is acclimated.
MOD aims to meet once a month and participate in activities such as visiting colleges and community service. The roadmap for generating resources includes fundraising alongside donations from businesses.
Principal Jeffrey Stichler propelled the MOD into motion over concerns that young men’s opportunities have been dwindling over the last 5 years– which he believes applies to Caney Creek as well.
Stichler cites a 2025 New York Times article that details boys’ struggles in academics, career success, mental health, and transition to adulthood as the fuel driving MOD.
“Not as much encouragement has been going out,” Stichler said. “Because we’ve just felt that men have been outperforming or been given better opportunities than women in the past and I think it has slowly started to shift and nobody has done anything about it.”
Stichler assigned Assistant Principals Ronald Stephens, Adam Schwarz, and Christopher McCurry as club sponsors, who willingly volunteered to lead MOD. MOD leaders strive to mend the severed connection young men have felt with school– one that sprouted early in their education, and has blossomed into their high school life.
“I think that some of the research out there shows that like the ‘playing school,’ like writing neatly, coloring and things like that that starts in kindergarten doesn’t play into the hands of a lot of male kids, and they start feeling disconnected from school,” Stichler said. “And so I want them to understand that school is for them, that school can benefit them, that what they do can be celebrated as well.”
Stichler’s goal is 25 members per grade level, totaling 100 members overall.
“You don’t want it to get so big that the opportunities and the resources are so watered down you’re really not accomplishing anything,” Stichler said. “So that’s kind of why we want recommendations from teachers, because they might know that student in their class better than we would, and which ones need that confidence and are willing to be dedicated to a program to help them get there.”
Conroe High School has both a MOD club but also a “Women of Vision” club. Stichler said he would also support a women’s leadership club at Caney Creek. For now, Stichler prioritizes male students due to gender gaps in Caney Creek STAAR test scores.
Stichler stated that male students at Caney Creek generally perform below female students on the STAAR tests; he’s fairly certain girls outperform boys in every subject.
Stichler clarifies MOD targets more than just AP students though, rather any boy lagging behind in school with concerns of their future.
“I want it to be kids that maybe they’re wondering if they could possibly be successful, right, maybe they have doubts that they could be successful in college or at the next level,” Stichler said. “I want those kids to be here so that they can hear from people who have been successful, and they can get ideas and ways to study, and those types of things that can help them.”
Promoting leadership skills is an objective of MOD to guide growth in male students, considering that Dr. Stichler has observed that student-led organizations often have females filling the majority of the officer positions.
“How do we support them in running for an office, and helping them understand how to become organized?” Stichler said. “I think it’s those types of things with leadership, with communication, how to communicate with peers, how to communicate with, you know, administrators and adults.”
Teaching these traits contributes to the MOD’s ideal image of a leader they wish to install into its members.
“A strong leader in general you’ve gotta have confidence,” Stichler said. “You’ve gotta care about the people that you’re leading, you’ve gotta be able to share your vision well, and be passionate about whatever you’re doing.”
