Cabaniss Elementary Mini-Mentors
E
ach year at Louise Cabaniss Elementary, a small
group of hard-working and motivated students
step up to the plate to become Mini-Mentors for
their peers. The Cabaniss Mini-Mentors are a
council made up of fourth grade students with
big responsibilities and even bigger hearts. The
selection process for mentors is rigorous and truly
gives the students the opportunity to demonstrate
their commitment to the program.
After being nominated by their classroom teacher,
they have to develop and present a resume
detailing their accomplishments, academic goals,
extracurricular involvement, family value system,
future aspirations, and references.
The next phase of the process includes interviews
that challenge students to elaborate on their resume
amongst an interview team of four teachers. If
students make it past that portion of the process,
they compete in a debate-style format to prove to a
panel of judges that they have what it takes to be a
member of the Cabaniss Mini-Mentor team.
Sherry Smith, the lead ESL teacher at Cabaniss,
along with math specialist Alethia Williams,
oversee the program and assist with each phase of
the process.
“The Mini-Mentors are like the role models for our
school,” said Smith. “They are responsible, honest,
hard-working, and very kind-hearted.”
Out of more than 33 nominees, six dedicated
students were selected as Mini-Mentors for
this school year. The mentors are committed to
peer tutoring, community outreach for campus
events and programs, delivering the school
announcements, and organizing various projects.
Congratulations to the newest group of Cabaniss
Mini-Mentors:
Summit High School Celebrates National
Parent Involvement Day
I
n honor of National
Parent Involvement
Day, the staff at Summit
High School offered a
variety of opportunities
for parents to immerse
themselves in their
child’s regular school
day. The event was
Warren Price joined his
sophomore son’s English observed on Thursday,
class.
November 19, and
many parents took advantage of the chance to take
an inside look at a day in the life of their student.
Not only were parents able to join students during
their classes, there was also a lineup of special
parent classes featuring training in Skyward, iPad
tools, homework tips, and more. The event was
coordinated by Eric Phillips, the Student and Family
Engagement Specialist for Summit High School.
“Statistics show that when parents are more
engaged in their child’s educational experience,
the student is more likely to be successful,” said
Phillips. “The goal of this event is to provide
parents with the tools to best support their student
and guide them along a pathway to success.”
Warren Price attended the event in support of his
son who is a sophomore band student. Although
Price is a very involved parent through after school
activities and as a band chaperone, he recognizes
there are many more ways to support his son’s
educational experience.
“This event provides the unique opportunity to
actually come into the school and observe our kids’
daily routines,” said Price. “School is different
compared to when I was a student, so it’s extremely
helpful to get this realistic view of the schedule and
pace of their school day.”
“We saw a great turnout this year, and we are
looking forward to making this event bigger and
bigger each year,” said Phillips. “We hope parents
will continue to invest in their child’s education,
and we are here to support them on that journey.”
To learn more about National Parent Involvement
Day, visit www.projectappleseed.org.
The ten Mini-Mentor finalists posed with the judging panel
following their debates.
26 Mansfield School & Family