October 2022 Mentor Coordinator Reports

Ferndale High School 

Stories to share: 

The FHS greenhouse is not operational due to construction, so the horticulture students are going on a field trip to Smith Gardens to grow poinsettias for 8 weeks. This fieldtrip intersected with a mentee’s Be the One meeting with her mentor. Her mentor has an interest in growing plants and always wanted to take a formal class. With the mentee and teacher’s permission, the mentor and mentee enjoy learning together about a common interest. 

A student and mentor play a physical activity every week. It’s something they both have in common. The mentee asked their mentor, “Can you teach me how to throw a football?”. The mentor, struck by their vulnerability of confessing the absence of this skill, enthusiastically accepted the invitation. After encouraging the mentee in this area, the mentor noticed a change: the student smiled more, they opened up about their family life and a sense of trust formed between the two. 

It was brought to our attention that a student’s father recently passed away. A mentor who is waiting to be paired with a student lost his father as an adolescent. This student and mentor will be matched next month to see if the student can process the hardship with someone who understands first-hand. This is a great example of how Be the One curates genuine connections between caring adults and Be the One student mentees! 

Looking Back (October) – Recruiting, Training and Matching new mentors and Students & rolling out new “Mentor Code of Conduct” and “Mentor-Mentee Agreement” 

Looking Ahead (November) – Recruiting, Training and Matching new mentors and Students, Distributing/collecting BTO Merch Forms & offering ongoing training for mentors (Nov 14/15 in Lynden) 

Total: 24 Mentoring Pairs (4 more than last month) 

Program Development 

2 Part-time BTO Coordinators at FHS – Annie Anderson works Mondays and Tuesdays. Michele Barmore works Thursdays and Fridays. No on-site Mentor Coordinator Wednesdays. 

Activity of the Month: Pumpkin Decorating! (See Pics)

Updated Systems:  

New Mentor Code of Conduct form signed by Mentors 

Updated Mentor-Mentee Agreement signed by mentor and their mentee 

New Absence policy established – Mentor Coordinator will check-in at certain times based on mentor or mentee absences. 

Updated TextBridge Permission Slip – 1 mentor/mentee now using service 

Downtown Trick Or Treat – Be the One gave out candy! (See Pics) 

2 BTO New Mentor Orientation – Tues October 4th & Fri October 21^st @ Ferndale Public  Library – 8 people attended! 

Mentor Coordinator Brunch – Annie Attended – Hosted by Partners for Schools 

Mentor Coordinators check in with each other and collaborate on a regular basis. 

Lynden Middle School 

Stories to Share

Will you be my mentor?

One of our mentors, who is also a bus driver, was asked by another student why she was at the middle school.  It gave the mentor the opportunity to share about the mentoring program.  The student replied, “will you be my mentor?” but she was already matched with someone.  Instead, the mentor told the student about all the great mentors out there and encouraged the student to join the program.

A grand reunion

One student decided not to continue with his mentor this year.  He felt like he was in a place where he did not need mentoring.  I saw the student one day in the library and he asked to talk.  He seemed upset, and he asked if he could start mentoring again.  He felt like he needed to talk to someone, and he could think of no one better then the mentor he built a relationship with.  So, now the two are meeting once again and they are enjoying their time together.

Connection

A mother reached out to me hoping I could help her daughter.  She has an adopted girl of a specific heritage, not commonly found in this part of the state.  The mom was hoping that her daughter would be able to have a mentor that shares some culture and experiences.  It just so happens that I have a mentor who fits this request perfectly.  Soon they will be matched and will begin a journey together.

Mentoring by the Numbers at LMS

·       30 active matches at the middle school

·       7 new matches were made in the month of September

·       1 match ended this month (student moved away)

·       8 Students on our wait list, waiting for a mentor

·       17 potential students interested or referred to the program

·       147 hours of mentoring so far this school year

Program Update

Recruiting and Training New Mentors: We had a great turnout for two more New Mentor Orientations.  It is encouraging to see so many people stepping up to mentor.  We are matching them almost instantly because of the high amounts of students on our wait list.

Mentor Training: We had our first in-person training of the school year, and it was a great success.  Jordan Feigal came and spoke about anxiety in teens and helping students.  We had over 25 mentors come to learn.  We had some great discussions and learned a lot.

Pumpkin Activity: We had a small activity for mentors and students to do together.  They drew on some pumpkins and had some fun together.  We had a lot of creativity from our pairs.

Lynden High School 

Stories to share:

Students and mentors enjoyed exercising their creativity this month by decorating mini pumpkins together and taking photos.  Almost every pair chose to do the activity and appreciated receiving their photos.  Lots of smiles, laughter, and enjoying each other’s company.

Often mentors do nice things for students on their birthday or holidays.  A couple of weeks ago I had a student recognize her mentor’s birthday!  She planned a special gift for her:  homemade cookies she baked with her Grandma’s special recipe, then packaged and gift wrapped with a homemade card.  Her mentor appreciated the thoughtfulness and loved that she made the gift.  (See photo)

Recently a mentor let me know that she had lunch with a former mentee from a few years back.  She worked with this student at LHS through graduation, including assistance with college research, scholarship applications, getting her financial aid submitted, and getting a laptop for college.  This first generation college student went on to Whatcom Community College, then transferred to Western Washington University where she recently graduated with her degree.  She now works as a social worker, and reached out to the mentor so they could have lunch together and she could say: “Thank you!  I never would have been able to do this without your help!” 

Highlights of this month:

·         45 active matches with several more in process

·         Info table at College and Career Fair on October 6^th =  new student and mentor referrals

·         October 7^th:  Brian and I taught YMHFA to staff at Lynden Christian

·         October Mentor Orientations:  10 new mentors; some already cleared and ready to match!

·         Saturday School Oct. 15^th:  Well attended.  Principal said it “felt like a college environment.”  Thanks to Partners for Schools volunteers for providing breakfast.

·         October’s Mentor Equipping:  Jordan Feigal presented on the stress response and how it impacts mental health; 27 mentors participated and had positive feedback about what they learned.

Upcoming:

·         New Mentor Orientation Nov. 5th

·         Mentor Equipping Nov. 14/15 on ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences)

·         Saturday School:  Nov. 19^th Breakfast and Tutoring

·         Working with Nooksack Coordinator to train new mentors for their program

·         “Thank A Mentor” focus for November

Lynden Christian High School 

GENERAL UPDATE:

Maintaining and finding this year’s normal was the theme of October for LC BTO.  As much as I wanted to see new matches form this month it didn’t happen. That being said, Lynden had a wonderful mentor who could only meet at a specific time each week, and it just so happens that that is the only time my student (who has been waiting for a mentor since the beginning of the school year) could meet as well.  I had the opportunity to meet the possible mentor early on a Saturday morning, and I am absolutely thrilled at the prospect of this match. I am hoping they will get to meet in November.

Sometimes when we sit in the waiting period we are able to see just why we had to wait.  This has rung true for quite a few of my matches over the past three years, so I am again reminded of the value of waiting on God’s timing. 

NEEDS:

·       I would really like to expand our mentor pool of both male and female mentors.  I am going through the classes which I am hoping will garner more interest, but I don’t have a deep pool mentors to match with students. Hoping that people can continue to spread the word so that people will be encouraged to pursue becoming qualified mentors.

UPDATES + UPCOMING PLANS:

·       Seven matches are meeting regularly; one hopefully set to start in early November

·       I plan on collaborating on promo materials with Deb (BTO marketing) to post around school. I want to develop a small hand out to talk to bus drivers and volunteers within the LC community and beyond

·       I was able to attend the mentor equipping session hosted by Lynden coordinators and their district’s mental health counselor, Jordan Fiegal. Two of our mentors were also able to attend

·       I am planning to circulate through health classes at LCHS on November 4

·       I was also able to talk at a high school faculty meeting and share/ reshare about Be The One and our goals at LC

·       Meeting and vetting possible new mentors

·       Coordinators plan to meet monthly to continue collaborating

·       November 14/15 there is scheduled mentor equipping sessions hosted at Lynden Middle School || Topic: Adverse Childhood Effects (ACES)

Nooksack Valley High School 

As we head into November, there’s a lot going on to share with you, and it is a short month!  First of all, THANK YOU for mentoring.  We are grateful for you!

No School for students on these days: Fri 11/11 and Mon 11/14, as well as Thurs 11/24 and Fri 11/25. If you meet one of those days and like to try to reschedule for a different day, let me know.  Otherwise, you just miss those weeks.

Upcoming Mentor Equipping Session in November—Save the date!

Topic:  ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and how these impact development and mental health for our students and ourselves.  Presented by Coral Bartlett, School Counselor.  So excited she can share this with us.  Two identical sessions being offered—Monday evening, Nov. 14^th from 6:30-8:00 pm or Tuesday morning, Nov. 15^th from 9:00-10:30 am—at Lynden Middle School.  Plan to join us! 

BTO Merch!– We have some new options this year.  All mentors and students can choose 1 free item.  I need your selection by Nov. 7^th.  I’m handing out these orders as you come in and meet with your students. Mentors waiting to be connected with a student, please review the attached order form and let me know what you’d like.

Mentors Needed! If you know anyone who would be a good mentor, send them our way.  I have a waiting list of students.  Upcoming New Mentor Orientations at Lynden Middle School on Nov. 4^th and Nov. 17^th.