{"id":13800,"date":"2025-05-14T08:14:41","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T12:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=13800"},"modified":"2025-05-14T08:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T12:25:56","slug":"mentors-and-mentees-celebrate-a-successful-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/mentors-and-mentees-celebrate-a-successful-school-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentors and mentees celebrate a successful school year"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Parkway Elementary third grader Jaquon Bomar, right, enjoyed the mentorship program celebration with his mentor Drew Lail. They checked out the SWAT team vehicle after lunch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A group of excited third graders from Green Run and Parkway elementary schools arrived at the Virginia Beach Law Enforcement Training Academy on May 2.<\/p>\n

Parkway Elementary student Jaquon Bomar spied Drew Lail.<\/p>\n

They enjoyed a lunch of hotdogs and hamburgers at the event celebrating the schools\u2019 mentorship program. During the past school year, mentors visited with their student mentees at least once a month for some one-on-one time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the best one,\u201d Jaquon said of his mentor.<\/p>\n

The duo enjoyed playing Legos, going to the school library, tossing the football outside and hanging out, he added.<\/p>\n

Lail will soon graduate from Regent University with a law degree. He applied to be a mentor to give back and help youth.<\/p>\n

At first Jaquon was \u201ckind of shy, but opened up and was easy to talk to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jaquon said he learned a lot. \u201cDrew said do my work and not get in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

About the Program<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The third grade mentorship program at Parkway and Green Run elementary schools was organized by Domestic Relations District Court Judge Timothy Quick, in partnership with VBCPS and the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s office. From left, VBCPS school superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson Jr., Judge Quick and Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The mentorship program for the two Title I schools was organized by Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judge Timothy Quick in partnership with VBCPS and the Virginia Beach Sheriff\u2019s Office under the leadership of Sheriff Rocky Holcomb.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is for a student to team up with a person in the professional world,\u201d Quick said.<\/p>\n

The approximately 40 children were each paired with a volunteer \u2013 an attorney, police officer or member of the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Nicole Levitt, school counselor for the elementary schools, helped coordinate the mentoring program with the judge and his team.<\/p>\n

She said the program is incredibly valuable because students get individualized attention from a trusted adult and receive encouragement and both emotional and academic support.<\/p>\n

Third graders are selected based on their need for positive guidance in a variety of areas.\u00a0 \u201cResearch shows the biggest impact we can have on young people is at this age,\u201d Quick said.<\/p>\n

As an attorney, Quick served as a mentor. He recalled the mentees\u2019 smiles when the mentors arrived at school.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d jump out of their chairs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Making an Impact<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb helped serve lunch to Parkway and Green Run elementary third graders at the end of the year mentorship program celebration at the Virginia Beach Law Enforcement Training Academy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Parkway and Green Run elementary principals Dr. Katie Catania and Dr. Sheila Wynn, respectively, said the mentorship program has had a meaningful and positive impact on students.<\/p>\n

Mentors remember birthdays, read to students and play games, Catania said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mentor helped me be a better student because I look forward to her visits,\u201d one mentor told her. \u201cI talk to her about classmates when I\u2019m having trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another said he learned how to behave in school and be nice to others.<\/p>\n

The principal has witnessed amazing transformations. One student was resistant to connecting with adults and almost always wore a heavy coat, even in the heat, as if not wanting to be noticed.<\/p>\n

He recently came to school in bright colors.<\/p>\n

\u201cLater, I watched him board the bus with his mentor, smiling in a way I\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d Catania said.<\/p>\n

Wynn said many of the mentors \u201chave gone above and beyond\u201d and offered support to all students in his or her mentee\u2019s classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne powerful example involves a student who initially felt anxious and uncomfortable around police officers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

After spending time with mentors in the classroom, she specifically requested a police officer as her mentor. Wynn described her transformation as \u201cremarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer perception of law enforcement has begun to shift in a very positive way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Another student who made frequent visits to the school counselor has showed improved behavior and decision-making as a direct result of participation in the mentor program, she added.<\/p>\n

Celebrating Relationships<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Green Run Elementary third grader Ronald Bernard showed his mentor Lt. Janine Uzzle his game of Jenga.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the end of the year celebration, Quick thanked the mentors for giving time to make a difference in students\u2019 lives and awarded each student a board game, compliments of the Virginia Beach Bar Association.<\/p>\n

Ronald Bernard smiled as he showed his mentor Lt. Janine Uzzle his gift, the game Jenga.<\/p>\n

Uzzle, who works in the Sherriff\u2019s Office, said spending time with the Green Run Elementary student has been rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I get to the school, his face lights up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The day also included meeting two of the Virginia Beach Police Mounted Patrol horses, checking out a Virginia Beach Fire Department fire engine and exploring a Special Weapons and Tactics Team(SWAT) vehicle.<\/p>\n

Ocean Martial Arts led them in martial arts activities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Third grade mentees participated in a martial arts demonstration led by Ocean Martial Arts during the mentorship program celebration on May 2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The judge announced Sharon Brody as this year\u2019s \u201cMentor of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brody is a Guardian Ad Litem(GAL) attorney. She is appointed by the court to investigate cases and make recommendations to the court regarding the best interests of a child in a family law matter.<\/p>\n

The attorney said she volunteers as a mentor because of the children\u2019s needs. \u201cSome have deficits in their lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Some of these students are put in situations that are no fault of their own, Quick added. The mentorship program \u201cgives them a positive role model and makes the community a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Mentoring:<\/h2>\n

Another opportunity for mentoring at VBCPS is the Making Waves program. Any interested VBCPS staff member or employee may volunteer to serve as a mentor.\u00a0 Students in grades three through eight are recommended for a mentor by their school principal and school counseling department chair. The 2024-25 program had 32 students within 26 schools recommended.<\/p>\n

For more information, contact Meredith Hobson, coordinator of opportunity and achievement, at Meredith.Hobson@vbschools.com.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Students at the mentorship program celebration met some of the Virginia Beach Police Mounted Patrol horses.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
A picnic lunch of hotdogs and hamburgers was enjoyed at Parkway and Green Run elementary schools’ end of the year mentorship program celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Each mentee from Parkway and Green Run elementary schools was presented a game from the Virginia Beach Bar Association during the May 2 end of the year mentorship program celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A group of excited third graders from Green Run and Parkway elementary schools arrived at the Virginia Beach Law Enforcement Training Academy on May 2. Parkway Elementary student Jaquon Bomar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":13803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-connections"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13800"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13844,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13800\/revisions\/13844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}