Northport Public School (NPS) is seeking adult mentors for students in grades 6-12 to assist in a new program that aims to foster meaningful relationships between students and adults.
The district’s “secondary mentoring program” gives people the opportunity to essentially connect with a young person and make a difference in their life. The program is different from academic tutoring or counseling though. Instead, mentors will meet with their mentees once a week for about 15 minutes during the school day and throughout the academic year. Northport staff hope to have mentors begin by mid January 2025.
“The goal/mission is to ensure that every child has as many trusted adults in their lives as possible and to create a partnership between the Northport community and the school,” said Erin Scholten, Northport K-12 school counselor. “We hope that both students and mentors make connections beyond the classroom based on common interests. There is great power in having face to face conversations and multigenerational relationships. It is very important for humans to have the space to give and receive undivided attention to and from others. If the program is successful, it will hopefully create a larger network of connections for NPS graduates as they move into the next chapters of their lives.”
Scholten said Northport English teacher Emily Alt, who is also helping to implement the initiative, introduced a similar program while working at Glen Lake Community School. The mentor program is based on the Northview Public School’s model in Grand Rapids, where Alt was also a teacher and mentor for several years to students.
It’s important for middle and high school students to have opportunities to connect with other community members in this capacity for a number of reasons. Scholten said that besides the obvious learning of social skills through in-person interaction in a low-risk/high support environment, Northport students are located geographically far from the many connections available to students in larger communities.
“Despite being a small area, there are so many amazing humans living in our area that are capable of providing connections and potential opportunities to our students,” she said. “For example, both Emily and I have our own professional mentors and have mentored students ourselves over our careers. We know how impactful these relationships can be.”
In terms of mentor qualifications, the most important thing is reliability and showing up when you say you’re going to show up, Scholten said. She added that it’s also important to not take up space and to give the student room to be heard. While students may initially be less inclined to share voluntarily, Scholten said as the relationship grows, adults have to understand how to shift the dynamic.
“Being consistent with how you interact with our students is key — give them the space to let them share what they want to share, and don’t feel compelled to fill up the space with our own stories,” she said. “We really want these partnerships to feel equal in nature — both mentor and mentee taking something positive from each conversation…” The district will provide training for adults interested in mentoring prior to their start date in January, and will offer optional training sessions throughout the year. In addition, students will receive information about the program prior to being assigned a mentor if they choose they would like one.
For more information about mentoring at Northport, contact Emily Alt at [email protected].
