At a football game earlier this year, Co-Principal Brandon Whitfield watched his son light up as he reunited with his high school mentor.
“Watching the interaction between a high school kid and my son was a special experience,” Whitfield said. “It made me think, ‘Why aren’t we doing something like that?’ ”
Now, however, Baldwin has a new mentorship program called Scotty’s Pals. Students aim for visits twice a month to kindergarten through second-grade classrooms for academic, social, and emotional support.
Currently, around 40 students participate as mentors. Next year, more applications will be open.
“We are looking to grow the program,” history teacher Chris Reilsono said. “For now, it is difficult working into both of the (schools’) schedules. With McAnnulty moving in next year, it will be extremely helpful.”
The high school mentors are in charge of creating lesson plans catered to the students’ academic needs.
“The activities for each kid are individualized based on the mentor and the students’ specific needs,” Reilsono said. “There is not a cookie-cutter format, but there is still the standard of excellence.”
To get the most out of the situation, mentors select which student to assist based on what the child needs most and their own strengths. Junior mentor Logan Huwalt saw this working firsthand.
“Each student had a list of what they needed help with and what they were interested in,” Huwalt said. “It turned out that one of the students plays football for the same organization I coach for, so we already had that connection.”
The selection process for this program was based on teacher and peer recommendations, as well as an application. Later, there was an assessment of character and traits of a mentor.
“It is not just someone who demonstrates the skills of leadership and attention to academics,” Reilsono said. “Also, it is somebody who listens. It is important for these kids to understand that their voices are heard.”
Beyond just academics, the mentors strive to help students improve socially.
“A lot of the students are shy or lacking confidence, so this helps them break out of their shell,” sophomore co-lead Layla Spearman said. “Having a ‘big kid’ there just gives them more confidence.”
Consistency is important, so in the future, freshman mentors will be paired with kindergarteners, so they will be able to provide support throughout the mentors’ time in high school.
“It is important to build a connection with your student, so students know they have a trustworthy and reliable mentor,” Spearman said.
The first visit this year was an observational session. The goal was to gauge the younger students’ environment and “shadow” the teachers.
“We were taking in the classroom, the teacher, the students, and more,” Reilsono said. “This helps us formally engage in our next visit.”
The mentors got teacher and parental consent before visiting the classrooms. Each of the mentors goes to their own classroom, which was nerve-racking at first, participants said.
“I was nervous if my ‘little’ was going to like me,” sophomore co-lead Ellie Schrader said.
However, she quickly felt welcomed by the students and teacher.
“I got a lot of hugs, and many students wanted me to sit with them,” Schrader said. “The teacher was very nice and welcoming, as well.”
Schrader and Spearman both hope to enter early childhood education.
“I want to become an early education teacher,” Spearman said. “So this experience is really important for me.”
