CSDHS begins student-to-student mentorship program
Cambridge- South Dorchester High School sports super star Koby Jones is a junior with a 3.0 grade point average, captain of the football team, and plays basketball for the school.
Jones’ coach, Jake Coleman says, “A lot of the kids already know him in the community, because they come out here on Friday nights and watch him play. It’s a small town celebrity type of thing.”
Coleman selected Jones to be the first to participate in their athletic department’s new student-to-student mentorship program. They’ve partnered with New Directions Learning Academy-Elementary.
Coleman says, “Coming from a peer to peer relationship, it might benefit in ways that we can’t.”
The goal of the program is to develop positive peer relationships and teach the students the “Viking Way.”
Jones continues, “Respectful, responsible, and readiness we’ve been taught here and give it to them so they can change their life and make it more positive.”
Jones visits the students once a week during his own lunch period.
He continues, “We talk about sports, we talk about education, we talk about what they want to do after high school when they graduate. We talk about everything.”
Jones admits a lot of those conversations do revolve around sports, particularly discussions about Lebron James. He says he makes it clear to his mentees that Lebron is just like them.
Jones says, “Lebron, he doesn’t go out and do stuff. He doesn’t go out and do anything he wants. He follows rules and regulations just like everybody else.”
The goal is to encourage students to stay responsible, respectful, and ready, which is the “Viking Way.”
There are thirteen students at New Directions Learning Academy Elementary participating in the program.
Stephanie Brohawn says the teachers select which students would be best suited for a mentor. Apparently, the fourth and fifth graders have taken well to the program. Brohawn says she’s already seeing an impact.
Brohawn continues, “What I see is the excitement in the kids. They really look forward to seeing Koby come to the classroom. As much as we try, it really helps to have that student that they look to coming every week giving them advice.”
