PORT TOWNSEND — Skillmation Mentoring Connections is searching for ninth grade “life skills” mentors for the 2019-20 school year at Port Townsend High School.
Skillmation offers a variety of mentoring opportunities throughout East Jefferson County, but this year the so-called “Bubble Class” with approximately 20 percent more students than usual in Port Townsend School District enters the ninth grade.
With them arises a need for more mentors, Skillmation Co-founder Ben Bauermeister said.
“We supply community volunteers into the ninth grade mentoring program at Port Townsend High School and we also supply community mentors to assist with senior projects at the high school,” Bauermeister said.
This is the third year that Skillmation has been involved with Port Townsend High School and its fifth year operating as a group, Bauermeister said.
The ninth grade mentoring program is a 90-minute per month commitment. To sign up for it, go to www.skillmation.org.
There were 35 ninth-grade mentors last school year, and Bauermeister hopes to have at least 50 to be able to serve the incoming class effectively.
“That’s a tall order,” Bauermeister said. “We’re going to need good support from the community to go out and help us with that.”
Skillmation will host an orientation for ninth-grade mentors Wednesday and a mentor training sometime mid-September. Interested people are asked to email Bauermeister at info@skillmation.org.
Other mentor opportunities with Skillmation include helping find internships, woodworking for the Wooden Boat Festival and music at the Salish Elementary School.
The organization has more than 150 active mentors, Bauermeister said.
People looking for mentors also can create an account on the website at www.skillmation.org to post a need for a mentor and the skills needed. Mentors will work to find someone who fits that need.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
