Students Train as Mentors
High school juniors and seniors from Piedmont Academy and Jasper County High School (JCHS) trained last week to serve as mentors.
The teenagers will serve as mentors in the Jasper County Mentor Program, an organization that matches volunteers with children in the Jasper County schools.
“In the first few weeks of school, 50 children were on the wait list,” explained Jehan El-Jourbagy, mentor program director, who met with the students and conducted the training sessions.
She continued, “Thanks to returning adult mentors and the high school juniors and seniors, the program now has only four children on the wait list. We are all so grateful for their volunteer service.”
Teenage mentors will be matched with children in grades K-5 in the next two weeks.
The students committed to meet with the children on school grounds once a week for about 30 to 45 minutes. The commitment is for the entire academic year.
Students who attended the mandatory new teen mentor training include Piedmont Academy students Chris Cain, Summer Collins, Christopher Coogler, Amelia Dodson, Jeremiah Dave, Cheyenne Galloway, Cameron Hallman, Braxton Hardy, Sarah Holland and Becca Hopper.
Also, Owen Kimball, Morgan Leach, Steve Martin, Andrew Mitchell, Marissa Mooneyham, Jade Padgett, Anna Phillips, Bridgette Phillips, Matti Ruth Smith, Taylor Swart, Morgan Tillman, Haley Tyler, Hunter Whiting, Dana Wright and Chase Young.
JCHS students include Chad Cain, Kolby DeGarmo, Regan Duke, Taylor Edwards, Cori Griggs, Jacob Hutchison, Seth Pettis, Emily Richardson, Garrett Scroggs, Caleb Usry, Faith Vaughn and Emmi Wade.
Piedmont Academy guidance counselor Ashley Cook, JCHS guidance counselor Kelly Anderson and JCHS media specialist John DeGarmo, PhD, were instrumental in recruiting the teen mentors.
The mentor program is planning on taking two bus loads of students to the campus of Georgia Tech and the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday, Oct. 4. The program is in need of donations to support the trip.
To mentor or support the program, please contact the mentor program at 706-318-4616 or visit www.jcmentorprogram.com.