Mentor Coordinator Report
Number of Current Matches: 35
Highlights:
• 35 active matches at the middle school
• 2 new matches made this month
• 2 matches ended (one student moved & another student ended the program).
• 12 students on our wait list, waiting for a mentor
• 25 potential students interested or referred to the program
• 465 hours of mentoring so far this school year
Upcoming:
• A New Mentor Orientation on March 5th.
• A Mentor Equipping Session on March 11th & 12th “Navigating the Teen Social Media Landscape”
by Debbie Hull, Special ed Teacher.
Stories & Quotes To Share:
Making an Instant Impact: A pair started meeting a few months ago and they have quickly connected over sports, games, and fun competitions. The two are already in a state of deep trust and excitement when they see each other. The mentor has already attended some wrestling matches that the student has participated in. The student has been so thrilled with the mentor, that he asked me if he could see the mentor “daily.” Even though I could not grant this request, I am delighted that the two have found a trusting bond after meeting only 10 times.
Creative Chaos: On one specific day, two mentoring pairs (who usually play basketball outside) were faced with a difficult dilemma; BAD WEATHER! It was too cold, too wet, and too windy to play basketball outside, so the pairs had to find a new solution. Most mentoring pairs would grab a card game and find a nice quiet place to play, but not these pairs. Instead, they created a new game in our auxiliary gym. It was a combination of badminton, baseball, and tag, and the game was played in socks (because of the wrestling mats). As I watched in amazement, the two students and two adults were having an absolute blast of a time. One of the students who never smiles had a huge grin on his face. Mentors and students can have lots of fun together, especially when they get creative..
Parents are Taking Notice: In this program, I usually do not interact with parents very often. However, recently I received an email from a parent praising the program and the mentor who has been with her son for about 3 years. The parent proceeded to tell me how much of an impact the mentor has made on her middle school student who lives in a single-parent home. The student is thriving and is quite successful in school. The student has been happier and is experiencing good mental health, despite facing some hardships in the past. The family even has a nickname for the mentor in their household and they talk about him frequently. Finally, the mom is requesting that we find a mentor for her 6th grade child as well. It really amazes me how mentors can impact not only students, but families as well..
Submitted by Brian Clemmer – ClemmerB@lynden.wednet.edu