BVSD spotlights youth-built mentorship program linking high-school mentors with fourth graders

Board members heard on Nov. 18 from students and staff about a peer mentorship program coordinated by Teens Inc. that pairs high-school mentors with fourth-grade students to ease the transition into middle and high school.

Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson introduced the student guests and said the district welcomed the work. Max Marshhausen, community mobilizer at Teens Inc., said the program began informally in 2022 and launched in January 2023 with 12 mentors and about 26 fourth graders. "We are now in our fourth year of the program and we have our largest group yet. We have 22 mentors and there are 32 fourth graders," Marshhausen said, describing a roughly 54-person participation pool funded by PTAs and Teens Inc.

Student mentor Isaac described the personal impact: "I've done this for, like, 4 years, and it's been, like, the coolest experience so far," he said, describing how mentors build rapport through games and conversation and later plan their own activities. Marshhausen said mentors receive four trainings during the year and typically mentor one or two younger students.

Board members praised the student presenters. Trustee Sergeant said the program demonstrates benefits for mentors and mentees, and other members thanked the presenters and community partners. Superintendent Anderson noted the mentorship work aligns with district efforts to support student transitions and cited community partnerships as a source of sustainability.

Next steps mentioned at the meeting included continued recruitment and an expectation that current mentees moving into higher grades could bolster mentor pools in future years.