Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Support Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mentors Care coordinator reports student gains; junior says mentoring changed his outlook
Summary
Mentors Care staff told the Venus ISD board that mentors have been matched with students and reported improvements in bullying, self‑harm indicators and school engagement; a junior, Ethan Sanders, described how his mentor reshaped his plans for college and career.
At the April 21 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Venus Independent School District, representatives from Mentors Care described program results for Venus High School and the wider service area from August 2024 through January 2025.
Program staff said Venus has an on‑site coordinator, Nicole Weldon, who managed recruitment and matches. Mentors Care presented aggregated program statistics and local results, saying 75 students had been referred in January and 39 students had been matched with mentors; the district reported 44 mentors on record and noted Venus is one of the few partner districts with mentors waiting on a roster rather than students waiting for mentors.
Mentors Care reported improvements among students who participated: for example, 48 percent of students who identified self‑harm as an issue in intake reported that self‑harm was no longer an issue in a post‑match check; 30 percent of students who reported being bullied said bullying was no longer an issue. Staff said the program identifies students using TEA at‑risk indicators (attendance/grades/DAEP history) and additional school‑level factors such as motivation, lack of family support and social struggles. Staff also described the program’s “outcries” caseload (45 instances August–January) and direct help with basic needs (food, clothing, caps and gowns for graduation) and referrals to school counselors when issues exceeded the program’s scope.
Student testimony: Ethan Sanders, a junior at Venus High School who is in the Mentors Care program, told the board the match “helped me shed a new light on where I'm headed in life. … She made me look at school differently. I didn't think I wanted to go to college before this, but now I'm seriously considering community college.” He said his mentor gave him “options” he had not considered before and that peers often compare mentors positively.
Why it matters: Mentors Care provides one‑to‑one adult mentoring and coordination intended to improve attendance, behavior and graduation prospects. Board members and staff noted the program’s local volunteer base; Mentors Care reported volunteers contributed 3,535 hours across partner schools through January (the presentation said an average of 8 hours per volunteer in Venus and noted several mentors have higher hours totals).
Follow‑up/direction: District staff and Mentors Care said they will continue matching referred students, report program metrics, and supply any requested documentation on referrals and outcomes to the board. Mentors Care thanked the district leadership and said it hopes to sustain and grow the partnership.
