OFE News Release
2009-10 Academic All-State Alumni Mentors Recognized
Jun 16, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – Fourteen young adults recently completed a semester or more of volunteer service as Academic All-State Alumni Mentors, providing academic support and encouragement to elementary school students in four Oklahoma communities.
The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring Program, coordinated by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, matches former Academic All-State Scholars with students at targeted elementary schools in NORMAN, OKLAHOMA CITY, TULSA and STILLWATER. Mentors commit to spending at least one hour each week meeting one-on-one with an assigned elementary student.
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a nonprofit, charitable organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Each year, the foundation presents Academic All-State Scholarships to 100 of Oklahoma’s outstanding public high school seniors. Through the Mentoring Program, All-State alumni have an opportunity to continue their affiliation with the foundation by volunteering as mentors.
“Mentoring is a great way to make a difference in the life of a child. Our mentors provide both friendship and academic tutoring for their mentees,” said program director Jennifer Geren. “Pairs do everything from reading together to completing art and science projects together. During their time together, mentors and mentees develop friendships that change not only the student’s life, but the mentor’s life as well.”
In some situations, mentors are given selected activities to assist their students in areas of specific need, Geren said. In other cases, mentors are encouraged to develop their own activities.
Jamie Quitoriano, a 2007 All-State alumna from Kingfisher, has been with her mentee for two years at Madison Elementary in Norman. “Everyday with my mentee is so much fun. One of my favorite things to do is to just listen to her read while we are outside,” she said. “She is the oldest child in her family, and she seems to really enjoy having someone to look up to. She always tells me she wishes I was her big sister!”
Jared Pembrook, a 2008 All-State alumnus from Fairview, really enjoyed getting to know his mentee on a deeper level during their second year together at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater. “This year was great because I really got to know more about my mentee and his life at home. He got into some trouble this year, and I got to participate in a discussion with him and his teacher,” he said. “Getting to listen to him and give him some advice was a great experience. The past few weeks, he has behaved better in class, and I hope this keeps improving as he finishes the school year and gets ready for middle school.”
Cassandra Mickelson has been with her mentee at Will Rogers Elementary School for three years. A 2007 All-State alumna from Yukon, Mickelson says she has seen her mentee’s reading level increase substantially since they met three years ago. “One of my favorite memories from this year was actually a day when my mentee was not having a good day,” Mickelson said. “Instead of reading in the library we built a house out of Jenga blocks as a mental break. After we returned to the classroom, she gave me a hug and told me I had made her day!”
The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring Program is part of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence’s David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative. Through the mentoring initiative, the foundation is working with school districts, businesses and its network of 220 public school foundations to promote mentoring as a positive step toward academic excellence. To learn more about the mentoring initiative, visit www.okmentors.org.
(EDITORS: Academic All-State Alumni Mentors are listed below by hometown and by the communities in which they volunteer. If you would like contact information or more details on a mentor in your area, please contact Jennifer Geren at 405-410-1523.)
EDMOND - Danielle Goldbeck is a 2008 Academic All-State alumna and a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.
Travis Kirk is a 2002 Academic All-State alumnus and a third-year law student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.
EL RENO - Emily Fuhr is a 2008 Academic All-State alumna and a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.
ENID - Hannah Denker is a 2007 Academic All-State alumna and a junior majoring in elementary education at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.
Phillip Fischaber is a 2009 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in engineering at the University of Tulsa. He volunteered at Celia Clinton Elementary in Tulsa.
FAIRVIEW – Jared Pembrook is a 2008 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology at Oklahoma State University. He volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.
KINGFISHER - Jamie Quitoriano is a 2007 Academic All-State alumna and a junior majoring in zoology-biomedical sciences at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.
MAYSVILLE – Jamie McCoy is a 2007 Academic All-State alumna and a senior majoring in aerospace and mechanical engineering at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.
MCALESTER – Eddie Shimp is a 2008 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma. He volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.
NORMAN – Seven University of Oklahoma students recently completed a semester or more of service as Academic All-State Alumni Mentors at Madison Elementary School in Norman. The mentors are Emily Fuhr of El Reno, Travis Kirk of Edmond, Hannah Landreth of Tulsa, Rachel Renbarger of Purcell, Koby Seitter of Weatherford, Eddie Shimp of McAlester and Jamie Quitoriano of Kingfisher.
PURCELL - Rachel Renbarger is a 2009 Academic All-State alumna and a freshman majoring in language arts education at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.
SHAWNEE – Chester Hendershoot is a 2009 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman at Oklahoma City University. He volunteered at Crutcho Elementary in Oklahoma City.
STILLWATER – Five Oklahoma State University students recently completed a semester or more of service as Academic All-State Alumni Mentors at Will Rogers Elementary School in Stillwater. The mentors are: Hannah Denker of Enid, Danielle Goldbeck of Edmond, Jamie McCoy of Maysville, Cassandra Mickelson of Yukon and Jared Pembrook of Fairview.
TULSA – One University of Tulsa student recently completed a semester or more of service as an Academic All-State Alumni Mentor at Celia Clinton Elementary School in Tulsa. The mentor was Phillip Fischaber of Enid.
Hannah Landreth of Tulsa is a 2009 Academic All-State alumna and a freshman at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.
WEATHERFORD- Koby Seitter is a 2009 Academic All-State alumna and a freshman majoring in multidisciplinary studies/pre-med at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.
YUKON – Cassandra Mickelson is a 2007 Academic All-State alumna and a senior agribusiness/pre-vet major at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.