Mentor Coordinator Report
Number of Current Matches: 6
Highlights:
-Six pairs meeting regularly (four high school and two middle school)
-Three students have been referred and need a check-in
-Meetings were consistent in February minus the weaving between assembly and regular schedules. Students are finding a rhythm in their classes for 2nd semester and all six pairs were able to meet on campus in February for the first time this year. I checked in with a few students last month who had been referred, but they aren’t quite ready to commit to mentoring because they are unsure or their schedules don’t align. I do have a few more students who I intend to check in with based on referrals, so still hopeful we could see another match or two by the end of the school year!
-The painting continues- in January several matches started a paint by number project, and each week they inch closer to being done.
-End of year is upon us, and I know that seems wild to think about, but May will be here before we know it. I will be stopping most matches by the 3rd week of May this year to allow students to focus on finals and enjoy the all school activities in the last weeks of school. We have scheduled the end of year interviews, are starting to brainstorm an end of year celebration, and have already started to take the match photos for the year.
-Lynden hosted two identical Mentor Equipping sessions on February 12 + 13 titled Trauma, Grief, and Resilience. Mike Black, a LMHC and former school counselor, was the presenter. Myself and two LC mentors were able to attend. Mike hosts a 5-week class called Beauty for Ashes at Bellingham Christ the King (CTK) which I have attended and encourage others to attend as well. Our equipping session was a shortened version of his seminar at CTK.
Upcoming:
□ Mentor Equipping: March 11th + 12th
□ End of Year: Photos, interviews, celebration
Stories & Quotes To Share:
Running into an Friend
Many of my mentoring pairs needed to stop for one reason or another at the beginning of the school year: graduation, moving, and schedule changes to name a few. One of the pairs that needed to press pause bumped into each other one morning, and got an impromptu catch up. Because of that encounter they reconnected and the mentee once again felt the warmth and support of having their mentor as a friend, and the mentor was full of joy just spending time with their mentee. Sometimes life gets busy and we have to press pause on activities or relationships, but when the foundation is there it is easier to pick up where things left off.
Picking up where we left off
Another pair who had to end at the beginning of the school year had an opportunity to meet up. The mentor was invited by the mentee to hang out with her and her sister. They spent the day playing games, doing puzzles, and catching up. It is always hard when a pair has to end at school, but it is an encouragement to see where the relationship can go beyond.
Submitted by Stacey Martin – smartin@lyncs.org