A new mentorship program at Sanford Pride Elementary is bringing community members and students together to help children with relationships and aspirations.
The program, launched this fall, pairs carefully selected adult volunteers with 3rd grade students for regular mentoring sessions focused on personal growth and development.
"We believe that when adults get involved with kids, it's good for everybody. It's good for adults, good for kids," said Principal Susan Inman, who brought the program to Sanford Pride based on its success at her former school.
SPE teacher Stephanie Simpson, who has two students in the program, shares Inman's enthusiasm. "While the new mentoring program is still in its early stages, we've already seen positive signs. The students have enjoyed meeting their mentors and look forward to future interactions."
Community volunteers undergo thorough background checks and training before being matched with students based on shared interests. Mentors commit 2-4 hours monthly, meeting with students during lunch and recess to avoid disrupting academic time.
Each mentor works with two students, creating a small group dynamic that promotes social skills while maintaining safety.
"To see these adults from the community come into our building on a regular basis, that's really important," notes Inman. "They see what we do. They see who we are."
The monthly sessions focus on key developmental areas supporting student success: building a sense of belonging within the school community, setting and achieving personal goals, developing essential social skills, and fostering stronger academic engagement.
The program is already showing promising results. "We had one mentor come last week, and he talked about how they made paper airplanes, but he made it into a technical lesson, and the kids never thought about paper airplanes like that before," Inman said. "The kids embrace these adults they've just met for the first time, sharing with them our school and how things work."
Currently serving six students with three dedicated mentors, the program aims to expand to twenty students and ten mentors next year. This growth will allow more children to benefit from positive adult relationships and community support.