Pathways to Success Program
Middle School Mentoring Program
The staff of King's McGowan Hispanic Outreach program believes that it is important to reach out to students of all ages. With the creation of a Middle School Mentoring Program, King's College offers a program for Hispanic students who find themselves in transition from elementary to middle school. The middle school age (7th - 9th grades) is the perfect time to open young minds to new possibilities, to build an appreciation for the value of education before you enter high school, and to allow you to explore areas of interest for future studies.
The Pathways to Success Program meets twice a month and is built on national models that bring college students and middle school students together for learning experiences that introduce them to a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, to the opportunities that these disciplines provide and to the steps necessary to achieve excellence within the discipline. Such an after-school program will help assure that middle school students will be less likely to become another statistic of a high school dropout statistic, or be involved in at-risk afterschool activities.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the program is to expose Hispanic students to a unique learning environment that includes the mentoring relationship, creative programming developed by mentors and staff, and extracurricular activities in a college environment. The program will:
- Introduce middle school students to a variety of academic disciplines
- Promote wellness and physical activities
- Open their interests in the different majors/fields of study
- Prepare students for the McGowan High School Mentoring Program
- Create a mentor-mentee support system based on the developmental level of the middle school student
- Build confidence and leadership skills that will foster success in high school
High School Mentoring Program
The McGowan Hispanic Outreach High School Mentoring Program at King's College began in February 2007. The program strives to assist Hispanic high school students who have the potential to enroll in a college or university. The program provides weekly tutoring sessions with a mentor. These sessions provide the high school students the opportunity to interact with a college student and to ask for advice about college. Participants who show strong interest and engagement in the program are offered the opportunity to participate in the Summer Residential Enrichment Program.
Normally, students participate in the High School Mentoring Program for four semesters starting in the fall semester of their sophomore year. Weekly sessions take place at King's College on Monday afternoons from 3:15 to 4:30. In the second semester of junior year, the program offering is titled "Walking Through the College Admissions Process," each weekly session focuses on a different aspect of applying to a college. Occasional Saturday programming is planned as appropriate and as needed. Hispanic Outreach staff members work with Wilkes Barre Area School District high school guidance counselors to develop a pool of candidates for the High School Mentoring Program.
The weekly mentoring sessions focus on developing math and literacy skills consistent with College Board (PSAT and SAT) and ACT testing. In addition, sessions are built around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines to give the students exposure to these 21st Century career paths.
The High School Mentoring Program primarily serves students from the greater Wilkes Barre area.