In order to thank mentors for their support and show the community the benefit of the program, the high school hosted a mentorship breakfast on May 15 in the student center.
Five seniors and their mentors attended the breakfast, along with parents, administrators and members of the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce.
According to mentorship coordinator Amy Tarlo, who organized the event, seniors had the opportunity to nominate a mentor who “impacted” them in some way, and five were selected to attend.
“We ask [seniors] to choose a mentor who impacted them in some way, whether that was pointing them towards a career or realizing a strength that they had or connecting to them in a personal way,” Tarlo said.
Tarlo also said that the ceremony allows mentors to understand they are “appreciated” and allows the community to see the benefits of mentoring a student.
Senior AJ Johnson completed their mentorship with Rebecca Simon, a small business owner who trains horses through the lens of behavior analytics.
According to Johnson, the two met through a volunteering experience and stayed in touch over the years. When the mentorship opportunity arose, they reached out.
“There was a lot of stuff that I learned that I was able to apply to my life, even interacting with people,” Johnson said. “Just seeing the confidence that [Simon] had helped.”
Simon felt like it was an “honor” that Johnson wanted to help and was interested in horse training, and the growth they observed Johnson experienced was “outstanding.”
Senior Kyle Lockhead completed a mentorship with science teacher Caitlin Warren.
According to Warren, Lockhead was “essential” to help with her new Medical Applications class this semester.
“[Lockhead] has extensive knowledge of science and he also has some experience working with kids at the middle and elementary level. So I would go to him for research on new labs I needed to develop,” Warren said.
Lockhead said that when he first met Warren sophomore year, he wanted to major in biomedical engineering, and two years later, that is still his plan. Warren has helped him stay on that track.
“I can really bounce ideas off of her,” Lockhead said. “It’s just that idea that I could talk to a teacher and build that connection and it didn’t seem forced.”
Senior Emily Tusman completed a mentorship with physical therapist Frank Ciuba. Tusman and Ciuba saw the mentorship experience as a preparation for the future.
“I think whether a student picks that field or not it opens their eyes to the future,” Ciuba said.