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Mentors reach out to Market Street students
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.High school and elementary school students gathered in the art room at Market Street Elementary School to work together on a craft for Big/Little Spartans on March 20.
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.Guidance Counselor Jen Carey gave craft instructions and talking points to high school student volunteers for Big/Little Spartans at Market Street Elementary School.
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.Pictured, clockwise from left, are Julia Madick, Anna Saxton, Emily Bluedorn, Franchesca Careilli and Alexa Caraballo. These Boardman High School students volunteered at Market Street Elementary School for Big Spartans and Little Spartans, a mentoring program.
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.Glia Moore, Ariana Pasqual, Kaylee Underwood and Alaysia Bray participated in Big/Little Spartans at Market Street Elementary School.
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Neighbors | Amanda Tonoli.Franchesca Careilli (left) and Katie Devlin (right) worked on their craft together during Big/Little Spartans on March 20.
By amanda tonoli
On March 20, Market Street Elementary School hosted a Big Spartans Little Spartans Mentoring Program. Students from Boardman High School came to the elementary school to work with younger children from that signed up for this mentoring program.
Guidance Counselor Jen Carey for Stadium Drive Elementary School and Market Street Elementary School headed the program, starting it to help students in similar ways as other big brother programs. She said it was nice to bring this closer to the students, for maybe some that don’t have the ability to reach programs out there because of distance and transportation issues can still reap the benefits of a good mentoring program.
Carey instilled in the high school volunteers that the point of this program was to remind children that they were in a safe place, free from at-home worries. Because it was close to St. Patrick’s Day, Carey constructed a clover craft for the mentors and their students to work on.
“I want them to write down something positive in their life,” Carey said. “Some of them are really going to have to think about it. They should be able to come up with at least 10 things in their life that make them feel good – make them happy.”
Carey reminded the older students to help them relate, but not necessarily bring up things that could upset the younger students – perhaps shying away from talk about their personal lives and maybe something more about friends or playing on the playground.
Eric Leyden, one of the high school volunteers, said he heard about this program over their morning announcements.
“I like it. It’s fun getting to come and play with the kids,” Leyden said.
Ariana Pasqual, another high school volunteer, had a group of students flock to her for Big/Little Spartans day.
“It’s fun because you get to help them out and do stuff like this,” Pasqual said. “It’s a good experience.”
This is the fourth year for this program and Carey said she hopes to continue it and its positive outcomes.