New program will follow freshmen through their high school career
Faculty
to mentor
R-FH frosh
New program will follow freshmen through their high school career
By jane waterhouse
Staff Writer
This fall is bound to be a particularly exciting time for 36 incoming freshmen at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School who will be randomly chosen to participate in a new student-mentor program.
"The entire faculty and administration has been working on this project for two years," Principal Peter Righi said.
According to Righi, the idea for the program began with an open discussion on the school’s strengths and what it would take to improve upon them.
"At the top of our plus column is a supportive, student-oriented faculty," he said. "We wanted to make sure that every student was connected to one of these adults in a positive and meaningful way."
In order to get that goal off the ground, faculty members embarked on an extensive period of study and research.
"We called off regular faculty meetings and broke into focus groups," the principal stated. "When they submitted their proposals, a common thread emerged — the basic concept of a small group of youngsters being connected to one mentor teacher."
Last spring the steering committee wrote a pilot curriculum. The overall objectives of the program are threefold: (1) to enhance each student’s personal development; (2) to improve the student’s educational development; and (3) to encourage the student’s career goals or special interests.
"Year one will be devoted to team-building, goal-setting and confidence-building," said Righi. "During the sophomore year, students will further define their goals and identify career and special interests. As juniors they will begin to focus on a special research project, which may be tied into some kind of community service, or driven by their own special interests. In their senior year they will be asked to write a reflexive autobiography and present their projects to a faculty committee for credit."
Righi said that while the Board of Education has approved the pilot program in theory, final approval is expected in September.
"In October we’ll send out letters to the parents of the 36 students who have been randomly selected to participate," he said, adding that by next year he hoped the entire ninth grade would be involved in the program.
"It’s the kind of thing that will look dynamite on a college application," he said. "But even more than that, it could make all the difference in the personal, educational and professional development of our students."