Page 5 - 2019 BPS NEWS

January is mentoring month
Hoover Middle School: A Model in Mentoring
By Nicki Hensley, BPS News
Mentoring is considered to be one of the most effective social-emotional intervention strategies for children who have either experienced trauma or are in need of an extra “leg-up” in life.
While assisting students who were struggling academically last year, Hoover Middle School technology specialist, Laurie Chalko, realized that they, and others, could benefit from having a mentor. With the approval of administration, she spent the spring and summer putting together a vision and researching other mentoring programs. Knowing that without actual mentors in place, whatever was on paper was meaningless, she spent hours working on recruiting volunteers from the community including the military,
law enforcement, clergy, physicians, and administrative assistants, among others. At the end of September, Hoover’s first “Meet & Greet, Chat & Chew” luncheon introduced 20 BPS approved mentors to 20 students. Eight more mentors have since joined the Hoover family.
While Hoover is not the first school in Brevard County
to benefit from having mentors – both Astronaut High School and Madison Middle School have programs that are supported by outside community groups -- it is the first self-managed program in the district, and in less than four months, it’s proving to be a worthy venture that is making
a measurable difference in the lives of deserving students.
Mentors meet with student mentees for a minimum of 30-minutes every week in the school’s media center, gym, cafeteria, or on the patio. Establishing a consistent friendship and being a positive role model are the main goals of mentoring. Depending on the personalities and the relationship that develops, goal setting and problem solving strategies can be explored.
Parents can request a mentor for their child, but most students are referred to the program by teachers and administrators. Hoover Principal Burt Clark said in a recent thank you video for National Mentoring month, “We’ve already seen the impact your relationships have had on our kids here and even with their relationships with their peers and other adults on campus.” That trusted adult friend has also proven to have been a safety net for several students experiencing more than the typical ups and downs of adolescence. Hoover mentor and BPS bus driver, Bob Gudgel, says it is the most meaningful thing
he is doing right now.
Anyone who wants to be a mentor or schools interested in starting mentoring programs can contact Ms. Chalko at chalko.laurie@brevardschools.org
–PORTLAND, OREGON–