Middle School Mentorship Day

Middle School Mentorship Day

This month, Middle School students had defining experiences at local businesses and working with professionals in many different fields. For a day, students stepped out of the classroom and into the workplace. Whether it was shelving books at the bookstore, helping animals at the vet, working at the gas station, or helping other professionals throughout town, students learned what Steamboat businesses are all about. Real life lessons abounded, sometimes sad, but as Shea Pepin says, “Even though some animals were in pain, like the dog that got porcupined, seeing the other animals made me happy.” Not only is Mentorship Day a wonderful opportunity for Emerald students to learn about commerce and other professions, but it is also a way for the students to give back to the community. Emerald’s Middle Schoolers represent the school well, lending a helping hand to their mentors. As Will Scheer pointed out, “It’s interesting to see the business from the other side of the counter.”

The learning doesn’t happen only during the day of Mentorship Day, though. Prior to the actual event, students set up their own placements, reaching out to the mentors and organizing the arrangements. When they return, the students write about their experiences, building their writing skills. And they practice writing business letters (and editing) as they write thank you notes to their mentors. Relationships built during Mentorship Day sometimes find students taking on part-time jobs when they get to high school, all based on their hard work with their mentors when they were at Emerald.