Hoover school board member shares need for mentors for students

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A new program in the Hoover school system is seeking volunteers to serve as mentors for students going through crises.

School board member Deanna Bamman shared about the program Monday night at the Hoover City Council meeting.

School counselors identify children who can use guidance as they go through difficult situations, such as being bullied, losing a parent, or struggling academically or socially, Bamman said.

Parents are notified that their child is eligible for the mentoring program and asked if they would like for their child to participate. After parental permission is given, students are paired with an adult for 30-minute one-on-one talks once a week at the school during the school day, Bamman said.

The meetings are done in public settings, such as the school library or hallways, so no child is left alone in a room with the mentor, she said.

Frequently, the students are paired with adults who share similar interests or who may have struggled with similar issues when they were younger, she said.

Mentors go through an application and screening process and are asked questions to help determine good connections with students. However, there is a great deal of confidentiality, and mentors may not always know why they were selected to mentor a particular student, Bamman said.

Right now, the program is in the pilot stage at four schools: Simmons Middle School and Green Valley, Riverchase and Rocky Ridge elementary schools, Bamman said. Twenty-six mentors went through the first wave of training and began meeting with students in November, and another 31 people are scheduled to be trained this month, she said. More are in the pipeline to be trained later, but many more mentors are needed, Bamman said.

“I was told that Simmons could take 100 now,” she said.

The plan is to expand the mentoring program to all Hoover schools after the pilot phase is completed, Bamman said.

All students are paired with a mentor of the same gender, and there is a particular need for male mentors, Bamman said. For every female student who needs a mentor, there are eight male students who do, she said. And right now, there are about eight female adult volunteers for every male volunteer, she said. So the volunteer pool is not matching with the needs.

It’s really a great opportunity for adults to help change the life of a child, especially retired adults who may have more free time during the school day, Bamman said. It helps give adults a sense of purpose, she said.

While students now are selected by counselors for potential participation, Bamman said she hopes that in the future parents can request for their child to have a mentor. Sometimes, students may appear to be functioning well at school but are struggling at home, and the parent knows the need, she said.

Anyone who would like to become a mentor or find out more about the program can call the school system central office at 205-439-1000 or send an email to rise@hoover.k12.al.us.

The mentoring program is just one part of the Hoover RISE program, which stands for Redefining Involvement to Strengthen Education. The RISE program also plans to start providing welcome packets to new families transitioning into Hoover schools. “It’s just a small gesture that can go a long way,” Bamman said.

Another potential program is tutoring in neighborhood and apartment complex clubhouses, she said.

David Bannister, the leader of the Neighborhood Bridges program that helps people in the community meet needs of other families in Hoover schools, said Neighborhood Bridges will begin sharing the need for mentors.

Bannister on Monday night gave the Hoover City Council an update on the status of Neighborhood Bridges after about a year of operation.

He said the group has documented 241 acts of kindness and 314 anonymous donations benefitting 1,171 students.  About 975 people have signed up to be notified of needs so they can help meet them, he said.

Bannister started the Neighborhood Bridges program in Hoover after seeing his brother do it in Ohio. Since the Hoover program began, Bannister has helped spread the word, and similar programs have began in at least 11 other communities, including Alabaster, Fairhope, Haleyville, Helena, McAdory, Montevallo, Pelham, Pike Road, Trussville, Tuscaloosa and Winfield.