I would like to share some information about a mentoring program at Fairfield High School that brings together students and professionals.

Mentoring programs are not new, of course, but this one is different in that students indicate an occupational area in which they’re interested, and are then matched with a local professional in that field.

Leah Brandenburg is a teacher for Butler Tech, who teaches at our high school. She had the idea that it would be beneficial to start a mentorship course to give students first-hand experience and knowledge in a specific occupational area. That course – Life Planning with Career Mentorship – is now part of our curriculum.

The mentoring course runs from February through May. Students go to their mentors’ work sites on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. On the other two afternoons, students spend time with an instructor at school covering course content related to career and life planning.

The students selected to participate must meet a number of requirements, including: a 3.0 grade point average, a 90 percent attendance rate, and no behavior concerns. They must have passed all sections of the Ohio Graduation Test, have their own transportation, provide a letter of recommendation, and write an essay stating their reasons for wanting to work with a mentor.

The benefits to the students are many. They get experience in a field of their choice, an opportunity to learn about responsibilities and expectations in the world of work, and the beginning of a network for future references and employment. They also become ambassadors in the community for the Fairfield School District and for Butler Tech.

There are also benefits for the mentors. It’s an opportunity to offer needed guidance in setting and achieving goals, and to serve as a positive role model. It is also a wonderful way to create and build a mutually beneficial partnership between a company, the Fairfield School District and Butler Tech.

The students are not paid, but they’re expected to participate in meaningful activities.  They may start out by simply observing, and then move into tasks that will assist in the student learning about that career field.

Those activities could include attending meetings, talking with staff members, gathering statistics, assisting with projects, working with customers, visiting other agencies or companies, and handling telephone inquiries.

The first year of the program turned out to be quite successful for the students who enrolled in it. This year the enrollment has almost tripled. That is wonderful, except that it has left us seeking some additional mentors in specific fields. We still need mentors in the areas of marketing, accounting, wildlife conservation/zoology, architecture or engineering (or any occupation that uses computer-aided drafting technology), fashion merchandising, and interior design.

Anyone who might help fill one of these mentoring positions can get more information by calling either Leah Brandenburg or Mary Oakley, another teacher in the department, at the high school at 942-2999.

Published in the Fairfield Echo, Jan. 10, 2008