Mentors championed

Mentors celebrated at the 1st annual Mentor Appreciation Event held last month at The Avenue. From left to right: Stephanie Armes, Lisa Weeg-Styers, Kelli Helppie and Joelyn Stier. Photo by Sean Galvin

By Carolyn Marnon – We all know of the wonderful Champions of Wayne program at Wayne Memorial High School where students are mentored each semester towards reaching a goal (or goals) and then receive $200 if they accomplish the goal. What we don’t talk about are those people behind the scenes who agree to take the time to mentor these students.
There are banquets that celebrate the accomplishments of the students. Donors are recognized and thanked regularly. Now the mentors are being given the credit they are due.
Sean Galvin, Executive Director of Champions of Wayne says, “We value and appreciate all of our mentors who make this great program possible and so we honored them this week at our first annual Mentor Appreciation Event. Thank you for your extra time and dedication–we, the Board of Directors of the Champions, truly appreciate you! Any student Champions or parents reading this now, it’s a great time to give a shout-out to your mentor.”
Student achievement has long been celebrated. It is important to recognize the mentors who are the backbone of the Champions program and who repeatedly volunteer their time and expertise.
Several mentors commented on this new annual event.
Thank you to all of the mentors, donors and supporters in the Champions program. Our students are truly blessed to have such an incredible support system at Wayne Memorial.—Stephanie West
The event was a great way for us to spend time with our colleagues outside of school. We truly felt appreciated. Awesome food! Amazing program! Thank you!—Andrew Raisanen
It was really nice to be recognized for our involvement in a program that means so much to us! Champions has become the heart of what I do here at Wayne, and it felt great to celebrate that.—Amanda Baker
I enjoyed talking to colleagues in the building to discuss how they mentor their champions. It was also nice to be recognized for all the hard work we put into the program. I enjoy the relationships I have created with students through the Champions program. – Gwen Fretenborough