LWMA Mentor Program Provides Guidance & Support for all Cadets

CAMP HILL - All students need guidance, encouragement, and support as they navigate the complexities of adolescent educational and social challenges.  Lyman Ward's Mentor Program, beginning its sixth year, represents the Academy's attempt to help cadets meet the challenges they face.

"We started this program in the Fall of 2002 to assist cadets in their academic and personal decision-making, and to get the faculty and staff more involved with cadets outside the classroom," says LWMA Counselor Jeff Damron, who founded and organized the program.  "The feedback we get from cadets, faculty, staff, and alumni indicate the program is doing exactly what it is designed to do."

Colleges and universities have a long history of mentorship programs.  Advisor (mentor) programs were first established in secondary schools at the New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL, in 1924.  The first mentor program was designed to provide educational, vocational, social, moral, and ethical guidance and counsel to all students in the school, not just a few.

The program at Lyman Ward pairs an adult administrator, faculty, or staff member with a small group of four to five cadets.  Mentor lunch programs are held two to three times a month in the Dining Hall.  The Dining Hall staff prepares a special meal with dessert on those days, and cadets and staff who have had birthdays are recognized.

"Mentoring provides the opportunity for every cadet to become well known by at least one adult in the Academy," Damron says.  "The mentor group provides a sense of belonging to a smaller group of peers who are experiencing similar challenges.  It provides a time to learn together how to deal with common social and emotional issues in a safe, nurturing setting.

"Through regular contact with cadets, mentors gain meaningful insights into their academic, social, and personal experiences and needs.  The adult mentor becomes an advocate for his or her cadets.  We believe mentoring means getting to know a young man well enough to know what is best for him."

Mentor groups participate in a variety of off-campus outings throughout the school year, including trips to restaurants, theatres, museums, musical productions, and sporting events.  Cadet mentorees participate in planning and carrying out mentor group activities.

"Evidence of the success of the program includes a greater sense of community and esprit de corps among the faculty, staff, and cadets," Damron said.  "When cadets feel comfortable about their worth, they are more likely to work hard and achieve their potential.  The Mentor Program contributes to the mission of the Academy, where every cadet matters, every day."