Got time?: School seeks mentors

By Steve Ritchie

Do you have an interest in helping young people and maybe a couple hours every other week that you could spare?

If so, John F. Kennedy High School Principal Troy Stoops has a suggestion.

Stoops and the JFK School Climate Committee are undertaking a new effort to recruit mentors for 30 freshmen and sophomore students at Kennedy High School in Mount Angel.

The committee members said they believe the mentor program could make a significant difference for the students, as they move through this critical stage of their lives.

“The most effective grade level to reach is the ninth grade,” Stoops said. “Their freshmen year often determines how successful they will be in high school.”

Stoops said “nine or 10” mentors are signed up and ready to start, but more are needed.

Female mentors are especially needed. There are many female students signed-up for the program and most of the current mentors are men, Stoops said, adding they want to match mentors with students of the same gender.

Prospective mentors need to complete an application form and pass a background check, but don’t need any special skills, just a desire to help a young person.

There is an urgency to the search as the program begins Tuesday, Oct. 26 with an orientation session for mentors.

The group will meet from 6 p.m. in the high school library. Stoops said anyone interested can call the high school for the application form and volunteer job description, or “just show up” at the orientation.

The first sessions for mentors and mentees will be on Nov. 2, 16, and 30 at the high school.

Initially, the full group will meet and engage in some icebreaker type activities designed to help the adults and students get to know each other and to encourage communication.

Over time, mentors will work one-to-one with their students on setting goals, relating to peers and learning to be successful in school.

One of the key areas of emphasis will be helping students with homework skills – for example teaching them how to organize their time, communicate with teachers, and prioritize their assignments.

Stoops says they are asking the mentors for a six-month commitment, with the expectation of meeting for an hour or two every other week during those six months.

Veteran teacher Julie Gurczynski, who chairs the School Climate Committee, feels the program will fill a major need at Kennedy.

Gurczynski said 30 freshmen and sophomores have signed up saying they would like a positive adult mentor in their life. The time commitment is not very much – two to three hours a month – but the payoff is immense, she said. It’s a chance to make a difference in a young person’s life.

“So often our energy goes to helping at the elementary school. High school students are just as needy, if not more so,” she said.

“In four short years, they will be considered adults and must make decisions on how to support themselves, whether to continue their education or not, whether to marry and start a family,” she said.

This is a great opportunity to help prepare these students to become productive citizens,” Gurczynski said.