Discover what is happening on all 5 school campuses with Be The One.
Ferndale High School
UPDATE:
29 potential matches to start the year
24 matches have reconnected- others meeting in next few weeks
2 closed matches- mentors unable to continue
1 new match
It’s hard to believe I have already been working at FHS for almost a month. For those of you that don’t know, Annie Anderson had her sweet baby boy this summer! Her maternity leave coincided with the start of school, so I, Stacey Martin (Lynden Christian BTO Coordinator) was able to step in and fill in during her absence. I have worked closely with Michele to get the nearly 30 matches meeting and scheduled many of their meeting times into November. It is fun to step into a program at another school and see how things work. The staff at Ferndale has been warm and helpful, and kids are eager to meet with their mentors. The support of Be The One at FHS is certainly not lost on me, and I think that the energy and rapport that Michele and Annie have established in their building is unparalleled.
Most of the matches have now reconnected and the ones who have not are set to meet again soon.
It is sweet to see the students who stop by looking to find when their first or next match will be.
Kids who inquired last year and haven’t been matched quite yet pop by the BTO office to see what
their status is and how close they are to having a mentor. Michele has been working double time to
meet with students who are interested and mentors who are ready to be matched. We are hoping to
have a handful of new matches start in the next month.
STORIES TO SHARE:
Potential mentee
Students who make the decision to ask for a mentor are some of the bravest in my opinion. There
are a lot of adults who wouldn’t ask for the extra support, and here these kids sit waiting for their
person. When we interview students, we ask all kinds of questions to hopefully match them with
the most compatible mentor. Sometimes the questions are hard, depending on their background
and life experiences, but yet here they sit open and vulnerable. We realize that sometimes things
are just a bit too hard to share in that first sit down, but we tell the students that a) whatever they
choose to share is confidential, and b) it only helps us in finding the best fit. Michele met with a
potential student last week, and when she came back to her desk a few hours later she found a note
placed face down on her desk. In the note, the student she had previously met with had detailed just
a little bit more information about himself. He knew he could trust Michele with his “extra” and
knew that it would help her find his match.
First meeting of the year
A pair started meeting late last school year, and only got to meet a handful of times before summer.
The mentor was a bit nervous about their first meeting, and hoped the student would still want to
build on the relationship. As the mentor left, he popped in my office and shared that the student
immediately opened up. Their past may not be the same, but they parallel each other in the ways
that matter. The student feels safe to share with his mentor and they can process and navigate life
together.
Big first hug of the school year!
..Happy to be reunited..
UPDATES + UPCOMING PLANS:
- Michele hosted a New Mentor Orientation on September 28 with five potential new
mentors! - Mentor Equipping October 16/17: “Understanding Gen Z” by Gabrielle Roberts
- Mentor Equipping November 13/14: “Depression/Anxiety in Teens” by Jordan Feigal
- Annie will be back November 1
Lynden High School
Stories to Share:
Matches all over the place! September has been a whirlwind as I started off the year with 65 pairs on
my list to contact about continuing. Most want to do so! The number of people to communicate with
about schedules is incredible. As of this week, I have 58 matches scheduled with regular meeting times;
80 % of them have met at least once already, a few meet next week for the first time, and a handful are
still in progress. The school day flies by quickly. I just hope I can keep up with everyone and support
them well.
A memorable time at summer camp. Last spring one mentor went above and beyond to help her
student have a special experience. This student is relatively new to Lynden, quite shy, and has
experienced a lot of trauma in life. She didn’t have anything to look forward to this summer and would
likely be isolated at home. The Animals as Natural Therapy Summer Camp looked like a great option, but
costs a lot of money to attend. The mentor and student were able to work together to request a
scholarship, and she had a fantastic time at camp, riding horses, working with a variety of animals,
and doing art projects. They started off the school year by sharing stories and pictures of her
experiences, with the student saying to me: “I hope I can go there every year!”
I remember you! This fall, I had to tell one of my students that her mentor of 3 years was not able to
continue. Of course, she wanted me to find her a new mentor! Due to her unique personality and
challenges, I didn’t think that would be easy. Fortunately, we had a mentor available who had a little
history with the student through her job as a bus driver. They already knew each other somewhat and
hit it off immediately! Looks like a great match for both. Smiles all around!
Highlights from this month:
- Highest number of matches I have ever had
- 6 students on the waitlist from last year; not even recruiting right now
- Successful closure and rematch
- Co-led Coordinator Training Sept. 8 th for BTO area coordinators with focus on Best Practices for
- Mentoring Programs: maintaining our certification and status
- Completed and Updated our Policies and Procedures Manual and Mentor Coordinator
- Notebooks for BTO—Brian and I have been working on this for 3 years!
- New Mentor Orientation on Sept. 21 had great attendance
- Mentor Equipping dates set for 2023-24 and coordinating speakers
- Homecoming Week this week—many fun activities
- Upcoming:
- New Mentor Orientation October 9
- Mentor Equipping October 16/17: “Understanding Gen Z” by Gabrielle Roberts
- Mentor Equipping November 13/14: “Depression/Anxiety in Teens” by Jordan Feigal
Lynden Middle School
Stories to Share
A Moving Testimony
This summer was challenging for BE THE ONE. We unfortunately lost a beloved LMS mentor matched with a
student in our mentoring program. I found out the sad news and informed the student and his mother. The family wanted the student to attend the funeral mainly because of the impact the student had made on the mentor. Then, in a brave and moving action, the student stood up and spoke about his mentoring experiences and moved the crowd to tears. Mentoring truly impacts students more than we know!
Longing for Connection
A student started off the school year on a rough note. The student was struggling with new classes and
experiencing some friend conflicts and drama. This student eagerly wanted to see their mentor and could not wait to talk about all the current school year. In fact, the student came into my office often asking to see the mentor. When they were finally set up to meet, the pair missed each other due to sickness. However, they finally reunited last week, and both were so relieved. It had been about 4 months since they last connected.
A Moved Sibling
Often, we see siblings, relatives, or friends come forward to ask for a mentor, simply because they have witnessed someone close experiencing and enjoying mentoring. However, one student had a sister come forward to ask for a mentor and she told an interesting story. She told me that she has watched her sister participate in the mentoring program for two years and she has seen a tremendous change in her life. The sister started out shy, reserved, and lacking self-confidence, but the mentor continually encouraged her to follow her dreams and try new things. The student received so much encouragement that she was willing to try out for a local theater production, and she even received a significant role in a play. The sister was so impressed that she came and asked me for a mentor. Now, I am looking for a mentor willing to do the same thing for her.
Mentoring by the Numbers at LMS
- 21 active matches at the middle school (most the middle school has ever had)
- 1 new match was made this month
- 12 Students on our wait list, waiting for a mentor
- 11 potential students interested or referred to the program
- 48 hours of mentoring so far this school year
Program Update
- Policy and Procedures: After working on it for three years, Lisa and I have finished a policy and procedure manual and a coordinator handbook for other coordinators and programs around the county.
- Recruiting and Training New Mentors: We had a new mentor orientation with 10 new mentors for a variety of schools. We need more mentors because our program is absolutely booming!
- Matching New Pairs: Now we are working on matching new pairs now that we have things settled at the middle school. The high school program is at capacity and so we are excited to grow the program at the middle school even more this year.
Lynden Christian High School
UPDATE:
THREE pairs have resumed meeting weekly at Lynden Christian Schools (2 at HS+ 1 at MS)
ONE rematch
FIVE students have been referred or are interested in having a mentor
Doors continue to open and close. We started the year with nine potential returning matches, but
only three were able to commit. Of the nine, two students moved out of district and their mentors
moved with them, thankfully! Four students are just too involved to make space in the allotted
times. Two students plan to stay in contact with their (now former) mentor in some capacity, but
aren’t able to commit to meeting on a weekly basis and one student hopes to resume meeting with
their mentor second semester. The fourth student who couldn’t continue this year gave me
recommendations for who she thought would benefit from having “her” mentor. The student who
was rematched did so in hopes of finding a mentor who fit for this phase of her life, and both mentor
and mentee are excited to establish this new friendship.
I could easily be discouraged at the backwards movement in terms of numbers, but I am choosing
to be thankful for the students who still chose to have a mentor and equally as grateful that all the
matches that had to close did so gracefully. I am also thrilled to have expanded my mentor pool as
many of the mentors have requested to be rematched as well.
UPDATES:
- I am filling in as co-coordinator for Annie Anderson at Ferndale High School
while she wraps up her maternity leave- managing close to 30 matches per week
alongside Michele Barmore (co-coordinator at FHS) - Brian and Lisa hosted a New Mentor Orientation at LMS on 9/21 and three
potential mentors for LC attended - I attended back to school night at LCHS and had a BTO table set up
- UPCOMING PLANS:
- Mentor Equipping October 16/17: “Understanding Gen Z” by Gabrielle Roberts
- Mentor Equipping November 13/14: “Depression/Anxiety in Teens” by Jordan
Feigal
Nooksack Valley High School
BACK TO SCHOOL:
- It has been way too much fun with the “back to school” buzz, walking the hallways, seeing
students, catching up with mentors, etc. - My family went to the first football game and tailgate with Handys, we set up a table, passed out
candy and business cards. - I have plenty of BTO bookmarks. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but I gave a stack to
each English classes which is such a win-win. They are constantly in need of bookmarks and it’s
free advertising to students about our program. I even gave a stack to the librarian. - Attended NVHS staff retreat and BTO mentor coordinator training!
- Matches are already up and running as students and mentors were anxious to reconnect.
- TWO NEW MATCHES started this month! Four new mentors signed up to do our orientation!
UPCOMING PLANS: - Be seen by students, staff, parents and community members on campus and school events.
- Attending Homecoming events and other extra-curricular activities (Go Pioneers!).
Questions? We’d love to hear from you.