School of the Osage plans to launch a "Next Generation Mentoring Project" for high school students, aimed at "building a bridge to those later years in high school," in the words of Deputy Superintendent Laura Nelson.
Nelson, who is in charge of the Osage Beach/Lake Ozark area district's academic services, said the mentoring project will be in its freshman-focused pilot phase this year, with a kick-off set for February and ending in April after seven to eight weeks.
"We've had informal processes" for mentoring in the past, she said, but nothing like the upcoming program.
The pilot phase of "Next Generation" e-mentoring will pair every freshman with an adult mentor in the community based on shared career or other interests.
There will be an emphasis on the electronic means of the mentoring, "in a way that overcomes time constraints and geographical barriers by relying primarily on email exchanges," according to a news release.
A proposed mentoring schedule described in a presentation shared by Nelson shows the first week of the program will start with a face-to-face meet and greet between mentors and mentees, followed by an initial email exchange. Nelson added that the initial in-person meeting would be on school property.
These prompted email exchanges will continue for several weeks before another face-to-face "lunch and learn" in week six. Another week or two of email exchanges will follow, with optional job shadowing and hobby activities.
Nelson described three main goals for the program:
To provide students a pathway toward internships and paid work experience;
To build a bridge from the beginning of high school to "real-world" experiences in junior and senior years;
And to create a more systematic approach for community involvement in the schools.
Students' personal plans of study and resumes also will be enhanced with feedback from their mentors.
An advisory council for the program will be meet at 5 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month in the Osage High School library.
Nelson listed the following people as council members so far:
David Atkins, chief executive officer of Argosy Consoles, Daybreak Rotary member
KC Cloke, executive director of the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
Tammy Darnall, human resources director at Central Bank of Lake of the Ozarks
Amanda DeGraffenreid, production manager of LO Profile Magazine, freelance graphic designer
Dan Field, FOCUS editor with Lake Media
Clint Laduecer, Realtor with Keller Williams, Noon Club Rotary member
Ron Massie, dentist and Daybreak Rotary member
Jennifer Reahr, LO Profile business and marketing executive assistant and Daybreak Rotary member
Jeana Woods, Osage Beach city administrator, SCORE business mentor and Lake of the Ozarks Regional Economic Development Council member
Nelson said the district is actively pursuing advisory council members who are strongly invested in careers in trades.
Job-shadowing opportunities may be available in this first pilot year but probably will be limited because the district wants to ensure proper vetting to protect students and make sure the process is user-friendly for mentors, she said.
Given the email-centric nature of the program and the availability of technology like Skype, she's hopeful alumni around the world can serve as mentors.
Applications for prospective mentors will be available starting Nov. 1.
Laduecer said the 160 or so members of the four area Rotary clubs are trying to reach other members of the community to build connections that could help develop mentorships for students.