Teens get a lot out of mentoring

The mentoring program will partner with the YWCA next year.

By TIM YOVICH

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Warren G. Harding High School students who have become mentors to fourth-grade pupils say they are getting something good out of the experience.

“I’m learning how to teach a kid to learn,” said Cliff Provitt, a Harding senior.

Provitt is one of 40 mentors assigned to 80 at-risk pupils at Jefferson 3-5 School, the former Horace Mann School on the Southwest Side.

The mentors are participating this year in the school district’s Teaching, Educating, Advising and Mentoring program, or TEAM.

Charlene W. Allen, executive director of the Alliance Community Outreach Program, said the program has been in existence for three years through a partnership with the city school district.

The outreach program is the fiscal agent for a $386,000 three-year grant. The grant, which expires this year, pays for staffing, programs and transportation to field trips.

“The kids are getting exposed to a lot of experiences they wouldn’t have had,” Allen said, noting they have toured the Underground Railroad, seen Cleveland Indians games and attended events at the Cleveland Playhouse.

Toni Blake, TEAM coordinator, said the school district will be partnering with the YWCA next year to continue the program in a scaled-down version.

The mentors are selected, Allen explained, based on recommendations from their teachers and principals. They have good grades, demonstrate leadership skills and don’t have disciplinary issues.

Provitt is mentoring two boys at Jefferson, helping them with math and reading skills.

“Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” said Provitt, who wants to study criminal justice in college to become a U.S. marshal.

Marvin Loga, a sophomore, said he became involved because he realizes he could have achieved more earlier in life if mentored. He said that’s because he had problems in math and science and had personal domestic issues.

“They really enjoy it,” Loga, a member of Harding’s football and track teams, said of the girl and boy he mentors. He eventually wants to study business in college and start his own company.

Tyler Avery, a freshman, said she became involved “because I thought it would help the little kids.”

“I got to learn what they think,” Tyler said of the fourth-graders.

On Tuesday, the mentors served as instructors for the Health Museum of Cleveland’s “10 Super Healthy Student Stations,” where the pupils participated in hands-on activities concerning their health.

The stations touched on such topics as good eating habits, physical fitness, personal hygiene, substance abuse and fitness.

yovich@vindy.com