October 8, 2019 - There are many Mariposa County High School students who, for a variety of reasons, could benefit from another adult in their lives whom they can talk to and who take a special interest in them. This is why last year, with the help of the MCHS Academic Boosters Club and Sierra Quest Human Services, MCHS launched a program called Community Connections that does just this: it pairs students who would benefit from additional adult company with adults in the community.

“Our goal is to assist in enriching the lives of our students who need us most, including those living in single parent homes or living with grandparents for example,” said Kathleen Leonard, College, Career, and Community Liaison in MCHS’s Counseling Office. “The program can do this by helping students form lasting bonds with community members. We want this to be a strong, interlocking community program.”

MCHS rolled out the Community Connections program in the fall of 2019 with a pilot involving five students and mentors. The mentors first went through a background check and completed training before being interviewed for a match with a student.

Students participating in this program are between the ages of fourteen and eighteen and enrolled at MCHS only. The students agree to participate; it is strictly voluntary. MCHS conducts interviews with students to discover their interests, hobbies, and preferences to ensure the best match possible. Each match is unique in that every student has a different personality, different needs, and different expectations.

Getting together doesn’t require a special occasion or expensive activity —just a few hours every month doing things both the community member and the student enjoy. A few examples may be: going to holiday festivals, lunch at local restaurants, playing cards, the mentor teaching the student a craft, trade, or new hobby like photography or cooking.

Thanks to the generosity of an Anonymous Donor, the MCHS Academic Boosters Club is able to reimburse each mentor up to $20 per month, plus a little extra help celebrate the student’s birthday.

Also each month, the community member and the student meet with coordinator Kathleen Leonard either by phone or in person to ensure the match is going well and the relationship continues to be positive for the student.

In order to expand this program, MCHS needs to find adults interested in becoming positive role models in the lives of high school students. Might you be one?

“This is a wonderful program,” said mentor Trish Darcy. “I participated last year and will be doing it this year as well. I encourage anyone to volunteer. They especially need men.”

The role of mentor involves a little prep work up front and then spending time at least once a month with your designated student. This has the potential of being an immensely enriching volunteer opportunity.

For more information or to become involved, contact Kathleen Leonard at (209) 742-0260 x 2235 or email her at kleonard@mcusd.org.

MCHS Academic Boosters Club, Inc. (ABC) is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to supplement and enrich academic experiences and provide educational tools for Mariposa County High School students. For more information, visit mchsabc.org, contact abc.mchs@gmail.com,  “like” ABC on Facebook: MCHS Academic Boosters Club, or follow MCHS_ABC on Instagram or Twitter.

Source: MCHS Academic Boosters Club