Former assistant principal Donald Matthews and then-president of the Frederick County Board of Education Earl Robbins established the first Necktie Club at Frederick High School in 1995.

The two are also members of Kappa Alpha Psi Inc., a predominantly black fraternity of professionals that has a long history of mentoring and youth-based programs.

What was first conceived as a casual lunch with students turned into a more formal affair, from meeting style to attire.

‘‘Young men should know how to tie a necktie,” said Robbins, who served on the school board from 1987-1997. ‘‘It is a rite of passage to teach your son, it is part of dressing for success, and changes perceptions when people see you.”

Matthews served as assistant principal from 1988-2003 at Frederick High, and returned shortly thereafter as targeted intervention coordinator, helping minority students access higher-level courses.

He said club membership includes all races, though it started primarily as an avenue to help black students.

The Frederick High club has two white members and one Hispanic member.

To maintain a place in the club, students must be academically eligible and cannot be failing any classes. Teachers and guidance counselors often refer students to the group, but Robbins said current members often serve as the best recruiters, inviting friends to join.

Monthly gatherings take students from the classroom to the boardroom, operating like a business meeting. Entry to the gathering is simple: shirt and tie are a must. Without them, one cannot attend. Members also rely strictly on Robert’s Rules of Order, as Robbins said, ‘‘so when these men become congressmen, they will know what to do.”

Kappa members and others from the community serve as guest speakers, sharing their life experiences with students to inspire and educate. Each member is also required to speak before the group during the year, whether through a formal report or to share information with others on any number of topics.

At this month’s meeting at Frederick High, Robbins reminded the 12 in attendance that ‘‘those who can stand and talk move up the ladder quickly.”

Attending the meeting as a guest was Jarrell Cook, a 2006 Frederick High graduate, now in his first year at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Cook, 18, and wearing a full suit, advised his peers to become involved in academics and not just parties.

With his sights set on a career in corporate law, Cook said the skills he honed in the club have paid off. ‘‘The Necktie Club played a key role in developing me into a better speaker, a leader and man in general,” he said.

Both Robbins and Matthews noted the change they saw in Cook, who went from shy freshman to outspoken club president his senior year. Now he is the mentor to younger men.

‘‘[Matthews and I] are old men ... so when we say things, they hear us, but they don’t always ‘hear’ us,” said Robbins, 59. ‘‘But when people like Jarrell come back to talk about what school is like and to value high school, that means something to them.”

This year, the club has branched out to both Tuscarora and Gov. Thomas Johnson high schools. Both Robbins, who works at Eastalco Company, and Matthews attend as advisors to the newer clubs.

Stephen Middleton, 17, serves as president of the Tuscarora High Necktie Club and at joint meetings of the three schools. His brother, Elliotte, was a member at Frederick High, and now the little brother is the big man in charge of 12 of his peers.

‘‘This pushes you to be more than you thought you could be,” said Middleton, a junior. ‘‘... It is very important to have mentors to help keep us on the right track and teach us how to carry ourselves.”

Tuscarora High’s assistant principal Rodney McBride said he has seen the difference in club members, in the form of maturity and camaraderie.

‘‘These kids recognize they have a voice,” said McBride, the club’s advisor. ‘‘They can lead, they can follow organizational procedure ... and they are forming a lifetime bond. While they may have been cordial to each other before [the club was formed], now they are a group of brothers.”