NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ten Huntingdon High School (HHS) students gave a presentation about the school’s Mustang Mentors program to a group of school board members, superintendents, and other school officials from across the state at the annual Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) Conference at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Mustang Mentors began 10 years ago, and its members serve their school and community in several ways, but their main activity is visiting an assigned group of students in either the middle or primary school three days a week.
Students who took part in the presentation included Kensly Rich, Chloe Jo Vaughn, Katherine Meggs, Everly Johnson, Allie Ruffell, Celia DeVille, Katelyn Brewer, Bhavy Patel, Carson Watters, and Bryson Whiteside. They were escorted by Coach Bryan Dickens, JAG Specialist at HHS, and Mrs. Ginger Taylor, Mustang Mentor Sponsor and JAG Specialist at HHS.
Huntingdon Special School District (HSSD) Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Kee and TSBA President/HSSD Board Chair Dr. Lee Carter were also in attendance.
Mrs. Taylor opened the presentation and introduced the students as well as the program. She spoke about the core values of HSSD, created by Dr. Kee, which are Student Development, Staff Support, Community Engagement, and Climate Culture. The students took turns speaking and explained how the program embodies each of these values and therefore benefits their school system. Each student shared why being a mentor is important to them before describing a key aspect to the program.
Watters shared the mission statement created by the first group of Mustang Mentors 10 years ago: “Be a Leader, Leave a Legacy.”
Next, Meggs spoke briefly about the rigorous application process in order to become a Mustang Mentor as a rising senior which includes an application, a private interview, a peer-viewed interview, and a leadership class.
Rich explained that a Mustang Mentor must always consider their integrity, reliability, empathy, initiative, respect, and service because the next generation is always watching.
Patel said that a Mustang Mentor is someone who is constantly willing to lead and set a good example, not just in class, but in the classes of younger students and in the community.
Brewer, then, described the responsibilities of the group such as planning middle school pep rallies, organizing the Carroll County Special Olympics, the upkeep of the Storybook Trail located at Kelley Sports Complex, leading students during career exploration day, and more.
Vaughn explained that the program offers a unique opportunity to learn through experience which builds character and understanding.
Johnson illustrated the significance of a program like Mustang Mentors on everyone involved, and she specified that the mentality does not graduate with a mentor; they carry it into their post-graduate life, and the impact on the rest of the school is a lasting one.
Ruffell demonstrated the relationship between the community and the school system in Huntingdon. For example, public service vehicles display school logos while the school, through things like the Mustang Mentor program, proudly gives back to the community.
Whiteside followed her by emphasizing that a single mentor can touch the life of just one student who helps one school grow stronger while a whole community benefits, and that the schools and community in Huntingdon move forward together.
Finally, Patel and Meggs each spoke once more to ask the audience to consider how their own schools might benefit from providing students an opportunity to lead now rather than later.
The presentation ended with questions from the audience, several of which focused on the students themselves.
Allena Bell, a school board member from Franklin Special School District, asked each of the students what their plans were after graduation, and other audience members noted that no one specifically wanted to be a teacher in a traditional classroom.
Dr. Carter, Dr. Kee, and Mrs. Taylor each praised the students’ work and offered words of encouragement to the students and the audience before everyone moved on to their next sessions.
Following their presentation, the group of Mustang Mentors enjoyed a quick shopping trip and meal together before returning to Huntingdon.
