The United High School mentors entered the San Isidro elementary library, where their 50 mentees erupted in cheers and applause. To the fifth graders, these well-rounded high school students are rock stars.
And the mentors feel the same way about them.
“They’re the rock stars. They are awesome,” said Danica Vela-Cuellar, a senior at UHS. “You can tell that they are very determined. We want to get them on the right path so they can be pillars in high school.”
The 16 UHS students from the Superintendent’s Advisory Student Council have kicked off a new United in Mentoring program with the goal of preparing the students to be future leaders in high school and beyond. They launched the program at San Isidro Elementary, home of the Raptors.
On March 4, the students immediately got down to business.
The fifth graders split off into various groups led by the high school students. The themes ranged from sports to dance to ROTC and government.
Danica De La Perez and Camila Molina, both fifth graders, stretched and danced to music coming from a cell phone in the gymnasium under their mentor Ximena Salazar. They giggled as they waved their hands and did the splits, showing off for Salazar, who applauded the girls’ efforts.
“I am learning about leadership and dance. The mentors are cool,” said De La Perez. Molina added, “(Salazar) is fun and she’s good at dance.”
Salazar said her role is to lead the way for these excited students who are eager to gain valuable insights from the mentors.
“I just want to help out from my experience of being in dance. I want to make sure they’re on the right track,” Salazar said.
Another group in the gym worked on scholarship and adaptability. The young students played Jenga, holding their breath as each one removed one part to place somewhere else.
One young girl exclaimed that she would probably make the tower fall. Athena Aguilera, a senior at UHS and one of the mentors of the group, wouldn’t allow that.
“You have to believe in yourselves. You guys are doing great,” Aguilera told the students.
“Our goal is to make them confident in themselves. I want them to be open and trust in themselves as they grow up,” added Aguilera, who is also the National Honor Society president.
Another group focused on government and analyzed law as it pertained to a certain case - Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairytale. They discussed whether Goldilocks trespassed, destroyed property or stole while she went through the house trying out chairs and beds. The young students thoughtfully discussed the case and whether to charge Goldilocks with anything. Students questioned whether Goldilocks’ parents should be charged.
Superintendent Dr. Gerardo Cruz, Associate Superintendent Rebecca Morales, Cynthia Rodriguez, Executive Director of Elementary Education and San Isidro Principal Adamina Meza observed the group activities and were impressed with all of the students who participated.
Each mentor is in a position of leadership in various extracurricular activities such as National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America, Robotics, student government, band, sports teams, cheer, and dance. The semester-long mentorship program involves the high school students guiding the mentees by focusing on areas of personal and academic growth.
United ISD Superintendent Dr. Gerardo Cruz, Associate Superintendent Rebecca Morales, Adamina Meza, Cynthia Rodriguez, Executive Director of Elementary Education and Patricia Martinez, Student Activities Coordinator at United High School
United in Mentoring students discuss how the law might be applied to Goldilocks and the Three Bears
San Isidro Elementary students learn about adaptability and scholarship from their United High School mentors
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