Once a month the Manchester Township Middle School Mustang Mentor Program meets for a fun and unique after-school program that everybody loves!
Middle school student volunteers, known as the Mustang Mentors, stay after school and partner up with students from the Small Group Instructional Classes. The Mentors begin each session by helping teachers Corinne Steinemire-Tordik and Megan Baumgartner set up the guided activity for the afternoon. When the Mustang Mentees from the Small Group Instructional Classes are ready, the Mustang Mentors lead the Mentees who choose a game for them to play together. It is a wonderful time of reconnection as they catch up on what is new since they met last month.
After game time, the Mustang Mentors move their Mentees to a guided activity station. When the weather is warmer they set up an activity outside, and when there is not a gym or wrestling match in the gymnasium, they will enjoy an activity in that room. This month they utilized the empty after-school hallways to create a sensory path the Mentees were very excited to explore.
The Mustang Mentors took their Mentees through a guided activity path that they completed multiple times together. Mentees were able to hop, spin, walk all different directions, stomp the images of bugs, and then take three deep yoga breaths to calm down before starting again!
Before the students embark on the late-bus home, they conclude their after-school club by washing their hands and enjoying a snack together.
The Manchester Township Middle School Mustang Mentors program was reinstated a few years ago as a monthly after-school program that fosters community and inclusion among all MTMS students. Every student benefits from the experience that comes from participating in after-school sports, clubs, and programs. Students learn how to interact and support each other while enjoying fun, educational meet-ups.
The positivity and sense of community from the MTMS Mustang Mentor's program spill out into the regular school day daily. Students can be found greeting and supporting each other as they pass in the hallway. The students in the Small Instructional Class who run the Mustang Joe's Coffee Cart enter classrooms to warm greetings from their Mentors when they stop by weekly. When students move on to Manchester Township High School, they will continue to have familiar faces with each other, fostering a positive school environment as they move up in the grades.
Great job MTMS Mustang Mentors!