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Urbana schools mark National Mentoring Month with recruitment push and scholarships
Summary
District mentoring coordinator Angie Armstrong told the board the CU 1 to 1 mentoring program saw mixed mentor counts across schools; the district will host recruitment events in January and the Scholarship Foundation will offer $14,000 awards to seven seniors who had mentors and submit letters.
Angie Armstrong, the district mentoring and community involvement coordinator, briefed the Urbana School District 116 board on activities for National Mentoring Month and semester mentoring statistics.
Armstrong said the CU 1 to 1 program has run for decades and listed events and recruiting efforts planned for January, including a city recruitment open house and a mentor luncheon. She presented school-level mentor and volunteer counts from August 2023 through December 2024, noting variation across buildings: "Urbana Middle School...brought in 21 new mentor pairs, giving her a total of 46 mentors," while "Urbana High School...has 41 active mentors, which is down by 16," a shortfall Armstrong attributed largely to recent graduations.
Armstrong described recruitment tactics—social posts for "I am a Mentor Day," radio appearances and partnerships with local groups such as the Chamber—and said the program requires applicants to complete an application, a fingerprint background check and a two-hour training before starting. She emphasized that a typical mentor commitment is one hour per school day during the school year.
The presentation also noted that seven seniors will be offered $14,000 scholarships from the district Scholarship Foundation, contingent on a mentor match, high school graduation and a short letter to the foundation. Armstrong said volunteers' donated time is valuable beyond dollars: "relationship building is much more significant," though she cited an independent-sector valuation of about $379,935 worth of volunteer time to the district.
Board members thanked Armstrong and asked how prospective volunteers should proceed; Armstrong said interested individuals can sign up via the district website or contact a school coordinator, and staff will contact her to complete onboarding. She invited board members to the mentor luncheon and urged ongoing outreach to maintain and grow matches.
The board did not take action on the presentation; Armstrong's outreach and recruitment plan will continue through the semester.
