Highpoint School boys in the school’s newly-formed Safe Haven for Overcoming Problems (SHOP) program received a visit from a special group of mentors recently.

Members of the Instagram-famous “Salt and Pepper Gang,” a Houston-based group of established, well-dressed men, met with SHOP students to talk about grooming and dressing. The visitors and Highpoint SHOP teachers discussed personal care and taught students how to tie and style neckties.

The Salt and Pepper Gang, who work to reframe how black men are perceived in their community, are known for their acts of service and youth mentorship activities.

Highpoint serves adjudicated or expelled youth from across Harris County who come from their home schools to address behavior issues. Young men in the SHOP program often lack healthy, present male role models at home. The SHOP program, founded by Assistant Principal Troy Moore, serves to support young men who need mentors in their lives.