Wednesday, December 19, 2001
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Wednesday, December 19, 2001 |
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Mentoring program helps students soar to new heights A unique mentoring experience is taking place weekly between a select group of students from Starr's Mill High School and Peeples Elementary. School counselors Kristen Bogumill of Starr's Mill and Joy Conklin of Peeples decided to team up this year to create the Starrs and Rockets mentoring project. The aim of the partnership is to help the youngsters at Peeples learn the importance of being good students while teaching pupils at the high school the responsibilities entailed when working with young children. The 24 high school students participating in the project were required to complete an application, have two teacher recommendations and a personal interview with Bogumill in order to be chosen for the program. Selected students participated in a workshop conducted by both counselors in which the mentoring concepts were explained and project goals established. Student mentors work with children on a one-on-one basis. Each Friday, the pairs spend approximately one half hour at Peeples reading together, working on special projects or just talking and getting to know more about one another's school life, interests and goals. The high school mentors focus on encouraging their students to work hard in school and practice reading on a daily basis. "The elementary students have benefited from the high school students encouragement and attention. The students feel like they have a special friend who is coming to see just them each Friday morning," said Conklin. Not only do the elementary students look forward to the Friday visits, so do the high school mentors, according to Bogumill. "The high school students are loving working with the elementary students. They take it seriously. They are getting themselves here every Friday at 7:30 a.m. when school doesn't start until 8:35 a.m. That has to show how dedicated they are to their position as a mentor," she said. Being a mentor is a year-long commitment. Although the high school students have to arrive on campus just about an hour before they normally would, all of them say the fulfillment and enjoyment they get from being a mentor far outweigh the early wake up call. "I got into this program because I wanted to help out the kids. It is a lot of fun and it feels good to know you are helping a young student," said Jeremy Garner, a junior who wants to participate in the program again next year. The counselors say they are finding success in the program as they observe both sets of students becoming stronger socially and academically. It is their hope to be able to continue Starrs and Rockets next year and allow more students to share in the experience.
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