Excitement was in the air as the newest S/PA class – that of 2022 – came out on a Saturday morning to learn all about what it means to be part of Student/Partner Alliance. Parents and students were split into different groups to hear the particulars that most related to them. Students came to better understand what and who a mentor is with the help of professional speaker and mentor trainer, Patrick Fennell. They each received the name and contact information of their mentor for the next 4 years. Then, through some role play, they were allowed to imagine what their first meeting with this new mentor might be like.
Parents also had a chance to hear Patrick Fennell discuss mentoring from the parents’ perspective; how our mentors are chosen and matched up with their children, what our mentors learn about S/PA and our guidelines for participation and support, and what to expect from their child’s relationship with a S/PA mentor. New parents had many questions and parents returning with a new child starting in the S/PA program were able to add personal experienced insight into this new relationship. Logistics such as responsibilities, scholarship payments to the schools and communication with S/PA were also covered.