The impact of mentorship in Seward County schools is felt long after the bell rings.
TeamMates programs across the region continue to connect students with caring adults, promoting positive, consistent relationships that help children build confidence and succeed.
Founded in 1991 by Tom and Nancy Osborne, TeamMates has grown to serve thousands of children across the Midwest. The program pairs students with adult mentors who meet with them once a week for about 30 minutes at the mentee’s school.
During the meetings, mentors and mentees might talk, play board games, build Legos, do crafts, shoot hoops or read a book.
According to MENTOR Nebraska, one in three children in Nebraska grows up without a mentor. Mentors help give young people the tools to make positive choices, engage in school and reduce negative behaviors. Having a mentor also increases kids’ chances of extracurricular involvement, regular volunteerism and college enrollment.
Seward Public School’s TeamMates program started more than 20 years ago and now has about 30 matches, according to Seward TeamMates co-coordinator Sarah Rodocker. Mentees can join beginning in third grade.
Rodocker said mentors and mentees look forward to their weekly time together, and the relationships formed through the program are its greatest strength.
“Some matches start when the mentee is in elementary school or middle school, and it goes until they graduate high school and sometimes into their adulthood,” she said. “We are lucky in the community of Seward to have mentors who love to keep their match going."
TeamMates serves all kids. Parents, guidance counselors and teachers nominate children who they believe would benefit from the program, and some schools allow students to nominate themselves.
Centennial Public Schools started its TeamMates program in 2008 and serves fourth through 12th graders.
It currently has 20 mentor/mentee pairs, with about 10 students on the waiting list. Centennial TeamMates co-coordinator Rochelle Geiger said the chapter took a huge hit during COVID-19, but greatly ramped up again shortly after she became its coordinator.
Geiger said her daughter had a teammate when she was in school. Although her daughter is now graduated and married with kids, her mentor is still involved in her life.
“I’ve been a teammate for 10 years, so I have had some of my own personal kids that I was matched with go on to college and be the first in their family to go to college,” Geiger said. “I have had kiddos turn around from being mediocre students to good students and having goals. I’ve had better attendance for kids here that have a mentor.”
Milford Public Schools started its TeamMates program more than 20 years ago and has grown steadily since then, Milford TeamMates co-coordinators Charity Roth and Brittany Volkmer said. Since the pair took over coordinating the program in 2020, the number of mentor/mentee matches has more than doubled.
Milford TeamMates serves grades three and up and has 75 active mentor/mentee pairs. There are currently 10 boys and one girl waiting for mentors, and Roth and Volkmer said the waiting list would be much larger if the school reopened nominations.
“Every child deserves another caring adult in their corner, and our mentors truly make a difference,” they said.
Roth and Volkmer said many mentees report that their visit from their mentor is always the highlight of their week.
“It’s very beneficial for our students to know that people outside of school care about them and care about what they want to accomplish as they grow up,” Seward TeamMates co-coordinator Kelley Kimbrough said. “Our students definitely see value in that, and I’m grateful that the adults also see the value in being there for students.”
In addition to weekly meetings, TeamMates programs hold events such as holiday parties, kickoffs and more. The organization sometimes offers scholarships, and, thanks to a grant from the TeamMates program, Milford recently installed a book vending machine in its school to promote reading.
According to the TeamMates website, 82% of mentees feel more hopeful about their future due to the program, and 92% of mentors report leaving their mentoring time in a better mood than when they arrived.
“Mentors very, very regularly say that they gain as much from that half-hour with their mentee as the mentee does, and that they leave it more positive and excited than when they came in,” Geiger said.
