Glenwood TeamMates Program Celebrates National Mentoring Month

Participants in the Glenwood Community School District’s TeamMates program were recognized publicly last week in conjunction with National Mentoring Month.

Nearly 50 mentors and mentees attended the Rams’ basketball games with Red Oak Thursday night and were recognized at halftime of the boys game.

TeamMates spokesperson Jeni Kirsch introduced the group to the crowd, noting that Glenwood has the second largest TeamMates program in the state of Iowa.

Around 50 Glenwood students in grades 3-12 are matched with adult mentors. The mentors
spend 30 minutes per week with their mentee during regular school hours.

Each school in the district has a designated mentoring room or space for mentors and mentees to meet. A weekly session might include playing a board game, shooting baskets, playing ping pong or just conversation.

Some group activities also take place for all participants in the program, like last week’s basketball game outing, a pizza party or a picnic in the park.

TeamMates, founded in 1991 by former University of Nebraska football coach Dr. Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy, is a nationally-recognized “one-to-one, relationship-based” mentoring program. TeamMates guidelines require mentors to receive mandatory training after passing a criminal background check. The mentors are then matched with a mentee of similar interests. TeamMates mentors are adult guides, advocates and trusted friends, but not allowed to tutor, give gifts or transport a student.

TeamMates programs exist in five states – Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming. The program has been established in two dozen school districts across the state of Iowa.

Persons interested in becoming involved in the program are encouraged to contact Glenwood TeamMates coordinator Sandra Dollen at 712-527-4887 or via e-mail at dollens@glenwoodschools.org.