From left, incoming freshmen Alexa Dominguez, Valeria Ortiz and Coraima Estrada participate in an orientation put on by the student-to-student Ignite Mentorship Program at Sunnyside High School.

greg bryan / Arizona Daily Star 2008

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RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION

Lourdes Osuna, 15, wishes she had had someone to help her out with the transition from middle school to high school. And that she had had someone to introduce her to new friends.

Fortunately, the 10th-grade student at Sunnyside High School not only survived the challenge successfully, she is now a mentor for ninth-graders, or freshmen, at Sunnyside.

"It would have been better if I had a mentor," she said. "Now I even enjoy meeting new people and talking with someone about our common problems."

Osuna is one of the 140 mentors at Sunnyside High School participating in the Ignite Mentorship Program. Each is linked with five freshman students, on average, whom they help by sharing what they learned while going through the same experience.

"The students have a tremendous impact on one another. " said Rita Ornelas, Sunnyside High School counselor and program coordinator. "Students are always more open with other students."

The purpose of the program is to address poor high-school graduation rates at a time when many students find varying reasons to drop out school, she said.

For some the reason is drug use; for others there are family issues, financial issues, and depression, Ornelas said.

The transition from middle school to high school is a big adjustment for students and is often a scary one, said Ornelas. That's why linking freshmen with older students is so important.

As part of the mentor program, the older students are trained in leadership skills. Along with the younger students, they also learn about networking, resisting peer pressure, facing challenges, and goal setting. After the training, all the students get together to share their experiences on those topics.

The program is funded by a University of Arizona G.E.A.R. Up grant. Mentors for the school's 750 freshmen are selected based on recommendations of their teachers.

Sometimes students are very shy, but that is changing little by little as freshmen gain confidence and gradually open up to their mentors, said Nicole Olvera, 17, executive mentor for the program.

"It's cool when you see them in the halls and they talk to you or say 'hi,' " said Olvera. She advises her students to hang out with everyone and not only with their closest friends.

To make the program even more successful, Ornelas suggests parents get involved with their kids' school activities.

She invites parents to visit Sunnyside High School and learn more about the program.