Stories to Share
Absence is Challenging for Students
Sometimes mentors do not realize how much students long to see them every week. Vacations, appointments, and sicknesses are all a part of life and occasionally mentors need to miss their time with their student. This month, on multiple occasions, I informed students their mentors would not be meeting with them for a variety of reasons. Almost every young person gave me that sad look of disappointment. One student said, “I really miss him” and another girl said, “I just can’t wait to see her again.”
Whatever it Takes
I have been so impressed by the mentors and their willingness to keep things fun and exciting. One mentor found a creative game with M&M’s to play which created lots of laughs. Another mentor asked if he could bring his remote-controlled cars to race outside, while another mentor walked for 30 minutes in the pouring down rain. One key to a long-lasting mentoring relationship is the ability to listen to a student and find out what brings them joy. Fun is an essential piece to the mentoring puzzle.
Recruiting from Within
A few days ago, I was meeting with a new mentor and giving them a tour of the school. A few mentees in the program saw me and came up to talk. Yet, they were not really coming to talk with me. Instead, they were coming to say “hi” to the new mentor and they proceeded to tell her how much fun mentoring is. It was nice to see that students are really enjoying their time with their mentors so much that they are promoting it to other people.
Mentoring Update at the Lynden Middle School:
- 41 active matches at the middle school
- 2 matches more to be made soon
- 5 students on our wait list ready for a mentor (1 girl/4 boys)
- 13 potential new students who want a mentor but have not turned in their applications
- New Mentors: We are still gaining a few mentors each month, but we are starting to feel the strain of an empty mentor pool. We are matching them as we get them. This is especially true with men.
Program Development/Evaluation
- Continuing to work on our Policy and Procedure Manual. Our goal is to finish it by the end of the year.
- Ongoing support towards other school districts with the BE THE ONE Program.
Report submitted by Brian Clemmer
- To Partners for Schools board members via Nancy Mcharness
- Other copies submitted to: Molly Mitchell-Mumma, Cyndi Selcho, Rex Frasier, David Vanderyacht, Lisa Reynold, Annie Anderson, Jim Schmotzer, Doug De Vries
Brian Clemmer
Be the One Coordinator @ Lynden Middle School