Cedar Springs Public Schools is proud to announce a new program being developed for students grades 6-12.

What is the Mentoring Program?  It is an intervention designed to connect caring adults with students that may be struggling at school for many possible reasons.  Some students do not have both parents in the home and if that one parent has to work to support the family, that child might need another adult to connect with.  Some students need to feel a connection with an adult at school in order to feel school is important. Other students are extremely shy and have difficulty making friendships at school. When a student has a trusted adult to talk to it can help make the school a safe place for them emotionally. The reasons students may need a mentor will vary, but research around mentoring programs nation wide show that they help students succeed.

What would being a mentor look like?  Volunteers would go through a short orientation to help them feel comfortable taking on the role of a mentor. The adult mentors will then be matched up with a student that has similar interests.  That adult will meet with the student once each week at school for approximately 20 minutes. The schedule will be flexible to meet the needs of our volunteers. That’s it.  It may seem brief, but that weekly interaction soon becomes something that the students look forward to. From all the research I have done to understand mentoring, I have read and heard the volunteers report that they cherish this experience as much as the students. There will be an opportunity to sign up to be a mentor at parent conferences so tell your friends, church members, grandparents, etc.

If you are interested in volunteering or have questions about the program please contact Jennifer Willette, Mentor Coordinator at 696-1204 ext. 6260 or Jennifer.willette@csredhawks.org