Tuesday, October 15, 2024
AZLE — Academy 4 highlighted a successful Azle launch of its fourth-grade mentoring program with an Oct 3 gala and fundraiser at the One Azle building. The Azle Rotary Club played a role in bringing the experiment to Azle administrators and Rotary president Bob Buckel chaired the event. Academy 4 representatives, school principals and mentors spoke about the effect the nonprofit has already begun to have after its first sessions for all fourth graders at Hilltop Elementary and Cross Timbers Elementary in September.
Over the course of nine sessions, once each month during the school year, mentors and their fourth-grade mentees meet for 90 minutes to discuss a wide range of topics. Academy 4 serves Title I schools, where 40% or more students are on free or reduced lunch programs. Academy 4 began its mission 13 years ago with just three elementary schools in the D-FW area. Today, the program serves 55 schools with 5,600 volunteers across multiple states. The Azle Independent School District is just one of many new districts that began utilizing the faith and community focused mentor program this fall.
Hilltop Elementary’s principal, Amy Rollmann, attended Azle schools as a student and has worked for the district for 27 years. Rollmann said she first learned of Academy 4 around four years ago and immediately hoped to start the program in Azle schools. The principal said teachers and parents may not be able to have the one-on-one time children need and that mentorship is essential for filling that gap. Even after just one session, she said she can see an immediate effect on some of her most troubled students.
“Every kid in my building is benefiting from Academy 4. That's what sold me from day one,” Rollmann said. “They had the biggest smiles on their faces and it took my breath away as a principal. I want nothing more than every single child in my building to just have someone cheering them on, supporting them.”
In an interview with the Tri-County Reporter, district administrator and mentor, Jessica Hanson, agreed that her experience so far has also been overwhelmingly positive. Hanson surprised one of her former students by revealing that she had committed to being her dedicated mentor over the next nine months.
“I think it's going to have a huge impact for Azle ISD students,” Hanson said. “In our world, we're so technology driven, and a big part of Academy 4’s expectations are that mentors don't have their phones. There are no screens out and you just get to have true, real conversations. So much of what you do is building those leadership skills with them, or just ‘tell me about you,’ so they get to feel important and valued. I was also able to learn from her. It was very rewarding for me, too.”
Speaking with the Tri-County Reporter, Academy 4’s chief executive, John Shearer, said he initially just wanted to test out the program in one Azle school, but principals and administrators pushed for the inclusion of a second with the hope of more in the future.
“What's fun about Azle, first of all, when we first presented it to the elementary school principals and superintendent, they were all in. They got it immediately and just said, ‘we'd love to have this in all of our Title I schools,’” Shearer said. “I'll be honest, I was a little concerned. That's a lot of volunteers to get, over 200 people. It's been incredible to see the way the Azle community has responded. We've had more than enough people showing up and it's just exciting.”
Shearer concluded that he is eager to see the connections and transformations that he hopes his organization will make in the district. Next year, he hopes to recruit fifth graders who went through the program to be mentors themselves to Azle first graders through its Leaders 5 initiative. Eventually, he said Academy 4 may also introduce additional services and resources for families in Azle.
The next Academy 4 session will take place Oct. 25. Prospective mentors can sign up to volunteer or learn more at academy4.org/azle-isd.
