School Spotlight on the JFK

The JFK Elementary School in Jamaica Plain has been a true leader in piloting the SCORES Mentorship Program, which started up this winter. Six Northeastern college students have been going to the JFK every week to meet 1:1 with SCORES mentees. The mentors and mentees each meet in a different classroom in the school to spend quality time together. After helping with any homework the mentee might have, the matches have grown close by doing everything from chatting to playing cards to practicing their soccer skills in the gym. The mentors are greeted every week with hugs and excitement as the kids have anxiously awaited their arrival. The mentors seem equally excited about their experiences thus far. In their weekly check-in’s mentors have said such things as, “She's really sweet, and seems very smart,” another reported, “It seems like he’s enjoying the experience even though he hasn’t had me for long, whenever a teacher asks them what he’s up to he always brags just hanging with my mentor!" Another mentor was surprised when she reflected, “I learned a lot about my mentee and what she wants to do/ become. She reminds me of myself when I was her age.” When the JFK’s site supervisor was asked what she thought of the mentorship program so far, she said, “I think it is a great opportunity for the kids, I wish each SCORES kid could have a mentor!”

With the start of season last week, the mentorship program shifted from 1:1 mentorship to mentors helping out at SCORES practices and games and finding quality time with their mentee on the side. This past week, the mentors helped run SCORES Mini Cooper, a pre and post test to see how our young poet-athletes improve on their endurance throughout season. The mentors assisted in leading a stretch with the girls and boys teams and then helped count how many 100 meter laps each youth could run in six minutes. Everyone was very excited to be out in the sunny weather and to be getting back into the soccer season. Mentors were eager to assist the teams and both teams were more than happy to have the help. This week will be the first game for The JFK against The Hennigan, another school participating in SCORES Mentorship Program. During this kick off game, there will be 12 volunteer mentors (6 from each school) cheering on their soccer-playing mentees.

For more information on the program or to get involved, email Sarah Garnitz at SGarnitz@americascores.org