Levi Ressler, a smiling first-grader at Clark Elementary, spelled his last name slowly, glancing to his mentor after every letter to see if he was right.
“That’s good. What’s next?” said Lindsay Baringer, a junior at Issaquah High School.
“I think it’s an ‘e’ and then an ‘r,’” he finished.
Ressler is part of the Volunteers of Issaquah Changing Education, or VOICE, mentor program. VOICE pairs a student referred by a teacher or counselor with a mentor, and the pair spend one hour a week doing homework, working on different skills, or sometimes just talking.
“Often, the students referred to us are those who particularly need special attention, whether it’s academic, social skills, or just an extra touch of kindness,” said Susan Gierke, VOICE mentor director. “And it’s a great program for them.”
VOICE, in its fifth year, began when the Issaquah Schools Foundation conducted a needs assessment that revealed more caring adults were needed in the lives of at-risk students, Gierke said. The program started with 25 mentors working in three schools and has since expanded to more than 100 mentors in 14 schools — and Gierke expects to see the program in all of Issaquah’s schools within the next year.
Baringer, 16, heard about the program from her father. Once she started, she was hooked.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Baringer said. “I recommended it to all my friends, and I’m definitely going to be doing it next year. It’s great to be able to show someone younger how important education is. It’s a great foundation.”
The relationship ranges between mentoring and tutoring, to simply mentoring, depending on the needs of the student. Teachers and counselors work with VOICE staff to decide a direction, so the time is focused.
Baringer and Ressler are currently working on counting pennies, to help him learn his numbers, but sometimes they play games like “Guess Who?.”
“It’s fun,” Ressler, 6, said. “We get to play, and I’m good at counting now. I like meeting Lindsay for mentoring.”
Much of the success of VOICE is due to the matching process staff use to pair students with mentors. When volunteers sign up, they specify what age range they would like to work with, what schools they prefer, their hobbies, and what they’re interested in helping with, such as literacy, math, or English as a second language.
“It’s not just about going into a classroom,” Gierke said. “It’s about working one-on-one, and forming a bond, a connection with the student. We have one mentor who’s been with the same student for four years, all the way into high school. That’s wonderful.”
Most volunteers are community members, but a few students from Issaquah High School and Skyline High School participate.
Robin Bryan began mentoring at Clark after she noticed parents coming into her daughter’s classroom and reading. She said she wanted to do something similar and was told about VOICE. She spends two hours a week with two different students.
“So many kids can use another example in their lives,” she said. “And it’s so rewarding to help them build their self-esteem, and social skills.”
One of the best things, she said, was seeing a student who didn’t like to read check a book out from the library after they had spent time reading the beginning together.
“I wish I could have had something like that in my life when I was young,” she said. “You’re just there to help and encourage, and they really do appreciate you.”
Last June, the program received a Washington Schools Administrator Award after being nominated by Issaquah School District Superintendent Steve Rasmussen for Outstanding Community Leadership and Service to Education.
“That just speaks so very highly of the mentors,” Gierke said.
But like most volunteer programs, VOICE is in need of help.
“Only one hour a week to make a difference,” Gierke said. “Just one hour.”
