Project Leadership will celebrate the graduation Tuesday of its first senior class to complete the mentoring program the organization implemented four years ago.
The mentoring program is one of a number of initiatives developed to increase the number of secondary and post-secondary graduates in Grant County. An estimated 250 freshmen have joined the mentoring program and 38 seniors have fulfilled the commitment they made as freshmen.
Project Leadership is a 10-year-old organization that began in 2000 when the Lilly Endowment funded a Community Alliances to Promote Education program in Grant County. The four-year endowment was administered by Indiana Wesleyan University and when it was renewed, administration of the grant was moved to be serviced by the Community Foundation where it remains today. After its success in Grant County, Project Leadership expanded to Delaware County in 2009.
Tammy Pearson, Project Leadership director, said the mentoring program began shortly before she came on board four years ago. At the time, high schools provided a list of students who showed the greatest risk of not completing high school, and more than 50 freshmen were invited to join the mentoring program.
“Not all students stay,” Pearson said. “Research tells us now that mentoring is not the best tool for at-risk students; there needs to be much more help for those students.”
Each year, a group of freshmen has been added; 170 students were paired with a mentor this year.
The 38 original freshmen who joined the program were assigned a volunteer mentor from the community who agreed to guide and advise the child through at least one year of school.
“We ask for one year, and we’re hopeful they will sign on for four years,” said Pearson, who conceded that the program continues to seek volunteers from all walks of life.
Kelsy Buckles, Marion High School graduate, said she and her mentor had a rocky start.
“When I got my mentor we didn’t get along. Before I met her, I slacked off a lot, which is the reason we butted heads,” Buckles said.
The graduate said her mom was often working and did not ask about her homework.
“Ellen (Spitzer) knew how to use PowerSchool (a grade reporting system accessible to parents) and would get on there and check my work. She made me realize how it important it was to get good grades,” Buckles said.
In addition to the mentoring program, Project Leadership works to reach students eligible for the state’s 21st Century Scholars Program that awards a guaranteed scholarship equal to the cost of four years of undergraduate college tuition at any participating public college or university in Indiana.
The program is open to income-eligible sixth, seventh and eighth grade students who enroll in the program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship to the state. Pearson said students eligible for free and reduced lunches at schools are qualified to be in the program, but not all eligible children enroll.
Through its recruitment efforts, Project Leadership has seen the percentage of eligible students who sign up jump from 38 percent in 2007 to 94 percent in 2010.
Makayla Jackson, Marion High School graduate, was one of those students. She will be attending Ivy Tech Community College in the fall on a full-tuition scholarship because she fulfilled the commitment she made, attained at least a 2.0 grade point average and graduated — something she admitted almost didn’t happen.
“A lot of times I though about quitting,” Jackson said. “But I’m the type that talks things out and having my mentor to talk to helped me to go.”
As a mother to a 3-year-old child, Jackson said finishing school and getting the scholarship will mean providing more opportunities for her daughter and hopes her example will inspire the little girl.
Pearson cites the creation of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid labs as a huge win for kids and Project Leadership. This year alone the labs helped generate $1.6 million in financial aid for Grant County seniors, Pearson said.
But, she said, there is still work to be done. She said she would like to expand opportunities to mentor Twenty-first Century Scholars when they reach the higher education setting and also hopes to expand students’ and parents’ financial literacy.
“A family who understands the finances of education is much more likely to have a student make it into the higher education setting,” Pearson said.
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