March 2023 Mentor Coordinator Reports

Ferndale High School 

Spring is in the air! Many students are going on field trips, manning tables at lunchtime with their clubs and playing spring sports. Two BTO students made Indian tacos and fry bread for a Cheskwin (Native American Club) fundraiser. One mentee showed their mentor how they deep fry the bread and prepare the Indian tacos. Five BTO mentees are competing in a spring sport (track, tennis & soft ball) or attended a choir competition this month. Lastly, FHS prom is next month, so some mentees are already talking about their attire and who will be accompanying them. All the exciting spring activities are producing great conversation starters for mentors and students! 

Looking Back (March) – Recruiting, Training and Matching new mentors and Students & (still) unpacking and setting up new FHS building. Coordinating and attending BTO promo events. Activity of the Month: Decorating a planter & adopting a plant (see pics)

Looking Ahead (April) – Recruiting, Training and Matching new mentors and Students. Wrapping up school year (EOY party, BTO Merch, etc.) Upcoming Activity of the Month: Design a Mentor/Mentee selfie (BTO will print out and frame it at the end of the year!) 

Total: 38 Mentoring Pairs (8 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. 

Mentors/Mentees will be matched until April 28^th. All incoming Mentor Interest Requests will be trained/onboarded next school year. 

Mentee Recruitment – Incoming 9th grade open house – 7 incoming 9th graders signed up for BTO next year! (See pic of Michele & Mentor Connie Lootens)

BTO New Mentor Orientation – Monday March 6^th – 7 people attended 

Trained 4 FHS staff members to be BTO Mentors (2 already started) 

Launched BTO Mentor/Mentee Selfie activity – Mentor/Mentee compose, edit & take a selfie together by April 14th. BTO will print and frame photo for Mentor/Mentee for EOY memento. 

EOY Party Save the Date – Fri, June 2^nd from 2:45-4:45pm – Ferndale Aim & Game – All FHS BTO Mentors/Mentees are invited 

FSD Communications team created a video promo for BTO Ferndale and ready to be released. 

Mentor Coordinators check in with each other and collaborate on a regular basis. Mentor Coordinator meeting held March 28th in Ferndale. 

Lynden Middle School 

UPDATE:

TEN pairs are meeting weekly at Lynden Christian Schools

ONE new match was made at the high school in March

TWO students are on the waitlist

THREE students have been referred or are interested in having a mentor

COORDINATOR THOUGHTS:

Students who sit on the waitlist for an extended period of time tend to start wondering if they will ever be matched, and often check in frequently to see if they are any closer.  As a coordinator it can be difficult to go into classes and encourage kids to sign up when I don’t have a depth of mentors ready to begin.  I currently have two girls on my wait list at LC- one in middle school and one in high school, but I have no mentors to match them with. I am also currently subbing at Lynden Middle School where I have seven girls waiting and three more potentially going to be added to that list after spring break. 

I know there is a need- I see it, and I hear about it, but mentoring isn’t something I can’t convince people to do.  However, I can let you know that if you’ve ever considered it even for a moment then this is your sign to give it a try.  Be The One is needed at LC- students need someone to lean on and spend time with more than ever. At LC, we are growing at a slow and steady pace for a variety of reasons, but the need is here as much as they are anywhere.

If you or someone you know have an hour a week to pour into a student please email me or go to www.betheonetoday.org and find out more!

BEAUTY FROM ASHES: The Journey from Trials and Troubles into Resiliency

This past month I was able to take a course at Bellingham Christ The King taught by counselor and Be The One supporter, Mike Black. He designed this class in a way that thoughtfully and intricately intertwined biblical truth and stories with practical application.  Everyone goes through difficult things in life, and there is no way to quantify the depth of our experiences. We face trauma, trials, and tribulations of many magnitudes- it is what we do with these obstacles and who we can lean on for support that lead us down different trajectories. 

Mike highlighted that there are a common set of four characteristics that predispose people (adolescents in particular) to positive outcomes in the face of adversity. The number one listed characteristic is the availability of at least one stable, caring, and supportive relationship between a child and an adult. Mentoring matters!

This is a class that I would recommend to people of all walks of life- I am thankful for the opportunity to partake, and I would highly recommend it to mentors.  I would recommend it not only for the personal gain and personal healing possibilities, but also as an added knowledge base for mentors as they step into relationships and walk alongside students navigating life.

UPDATES + UPCOMING PLANS:

·       Mentor Equipping Sessions completed on March 20^th and 21^st

·       Pair photos + student interviews

·       End of year celebration: May 18

·       Merchandise distribution to new matches

·       Possible New Mentor Orientation in April

·       I will be finishing up subbing at Lynden Middle School at the end of April and becoming more present at Nooksack Schools through the end of the year while Lauren is on her maternity leave through summer.

Lynden High School 

Stories to share:

Team Turn-around:  This week a mentor, student, and I enjoyed celebrating her success together!  This young lady has been with her mentor since 6^th grade.  At that time she was a good student with many goals.  When covid led to remote school, she really struggled to engage with academics, became isolated, depressed, and anxious.  By the time she hit high school last year, she had terrible attendance and really struggled with grades.  The past few months haves been a complete turn-around.  She is attending regularly, doing homework, has A’s in all her classes, and feels good about school and her future.  Her mentor continued to show up and encourage her the whole time she struggled and helped advocate for pursuing counseling and additional support.  I have no doubt that she would have fallen through the cracks and dropped out if she had not had this caring adult in her life.

Don’t we all love public speaking?  This week I checked in with two different mentoring pairs and found that the students each had a speech to give in English class and were feeling nervous.  The one student and mentor went right to work on filling out her notecards, and by the end of their time together, she was standing up giving a practice speech with eye contact while her mentor gave feedback.  She was prepared and ready to go!  The other student felt so nervous that she just wanted to refuse to even do the speech.  Her mentor shared her own fear of public speaking, gently encouraged her, and persuaded her to give it a try.  They worked on notecards and what to say, but the student was still really hesitant about following through.  I was so happy to hear from the English teacher that both students did well on their speeches—and glad to share with their mentors the positive impact they had that day!

Double Thumbs Up:  A freshman boy asked for a mentor back in October, and has been on my waitlist ever since. I have been checking in with the student regularly, but typically we have trouble recruiting male mentors, and I just didn’t have anyone who seemed to be a good fit.  Recently, an experienced mentor who took a little time off decided to come back into the pool, updated his paperwork, and seemed like a potential match.  We sent up a first meeting this week and things went well.  When I asked the student his opinion of the match, he gave me a big smile and a double thumbs up!  So happy to find a caring adult for him after the long wait.

Highlights of this month:

·         New matches made for students who have been waiting since October and November

·         March New Mentor Orientation—8 attendees who are all becoming mentors

·         March 9^th  Attended Boogie Woogie Piano Concert to support BTO awareness and celebrate 10 years of mentoring!

·         Taught Youth Mental Health First Aid Course March 18^th to LC staff—received good participation and feedback. 

·         March Mentor Equipping:  Hiding in Plain Sight—Part 2 youth mental health documentary Great discussions and feedback.  We returned to having 4 Mentor Equipping sessions this year—first time since pre-covid!

·         Continuing 12-week course:  Mentors Supporting Youth Mental Health; learning some key things to teach mentors for future Mentor Equipping Sessions next year.

Upcoming:

·         Trying to match existing students right after Spring Break

·         New Mentor Orientation—will offer one in April if needed

·         Supporting staff/students who are planning Multi-cultural night for May:  many involved in BTO

·         Considering offering another Youth Mental Health First Aid Class for mentors later this spring

·         Arranging for student interviews May 1-5

·         Celebration Cruise on May 18^th—permission slips going out after spring break

Lynden Christian High School 

UPDATE:
TEN pairs are meeting weekly at Lynden Christian Schools
ONE new match was made at the high school in March
TWO students are on the waitlist
THREE students have been referred or are interested in having a mentor
COORDINATOR THOUGHTS:
Students who sit on the waitlist for an extended period of time tend to start wondering if they will ever be matched,
and often check in frequently to see if they are any closer. As a coordinator it can be difficult to go into classes
and encourage kids to sign up when I don’t have a depth of mentors ready to begin. I currently have two girls on
my wait list at LC- one in middle school and one in high school, but I have no mentors to match them with. I am
also currently subbing at Lynden Middle School where I have seven girls waiting and three more potentially going
to be added to that list after spring break.
I know there is a need- I see it, and I hear about it, but mentoring isn’t something I can’t convince people to do.
However, I can let you know that if you’ve ever considered it even for a moment then this is your sign to give it a
try. Be The One is needed at LC- students need someone to lean on and spend time with more than ever. At LC,
we are growing at a slow and steady pace for a variety of reasons, but the need is here as much asthey are anywhere.
If you or someone you know have an hour a week to pour into a student please email me or go to
www.betheonetoday.org and find out more!
BEAUTY FROM ASHES: The Journey from Trials and Troubles into Resiliency
This past month I was able to take a course at Bellingham Christ The King taught by counselor and Be The One
supporter, Mike Black. He designed this class in a way that thoughtfully and intricately intertwined biblical truth
and stories with practical application. Everyone goes through difficult things in life, and there is no way to quantify
the depth of our experiences. We face trauma, trials, and tribulations of many magnitudes- it is what we do with
these obstacles and who we can lean on for support that lead us down different trajectories.
Mike highlighted that there are a common set of four characteristics that predispose people (adolescents in
particular) to positive outcomes in the face of adversity. The number one listed characteristic is the availability of
at least one stable, caring, and supportive relationship between a child and an adult. Mentoring matters!
This is a class that I would recommend to people of all walks of life- I am thankful for the opportunity to partake,
and I would highly recommend it to mentors. I would recommend it not only for the personal gain and personal
healing possibilities, but also as an added knowledge base for mentors as they step into relationships and walk
alongside students navigating life.
UPDATES + UPCOMING PLANS:
• Mentor Equipping Sessions completed on March 20th and 21
st

• Pair photos + student interviews
• End of year celebration: May 18
• Merchandise distribution to new matches
• Possible New Mentor Orientation in April
• I will be finishing up subbing at Lynden Middle School at the end of April and becoming more present
at Nooksack Schools through the end of the year while Lauren is on her maternity leave through summer.

Nooksack Valley High School 

Stay Tuned