By Isabel Kesteron and Miranda Olsen

On Friday, Nov. 8, high school mentors from the Friend to Friend organization met in the Atlantic High School multi-purpose room for training.  The speaker was Scott Raecker, executive director of Character Counts in Iowa.  Raecker was chosen according to Guidance Counselor and Friend to Friend advisor, “because I’ve known him for a little over a year now and believe that Character Counts is a fantastic organization that helps develop leaders all across the country.  He is incredibly passionate about kids and building leadership skills.”

Character counts is a non-profit organization located at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Founded in 1997, they have worked with over 33,000 teachers, coaches, and leaders in Iowa.

Sophomore Sarah McCance said that she was looking forward to expanding her knowledge on how to work with her mentee and “hopefully, subway”.   “I think I’m looking forward to getting to know how to communicate with my mentee.” said freshman Marah Bengel.

After program founder, Lillie Zablocki handed out snack bags to all the mentors, quick announcements were made regarding the schedule, then Raecker began.  Raecker was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for 14 years and has spoken with 12 executives from a top Pella corporation, as well as giving a presentation at Hy-Vee University.

Raecker taught mentors about core leadership practices and tools that they could use while working with their mentees.  He focused on promoting a positive attitude and good effort when working with the mentees. Raecker taught the student mentors how to use social networking, compacts for excellence, word maps, and fishbone charts to connect with their mentees and get to know them better.

When asked about why he got involved in youth leadership, Raecker said, “I really have a passion for making an impact in peoples lives and I have a focus on core values and decision making can enrich and enhance people’s lives.”  Raecker elaborated with saying, “It has been very natural for me to work with young people and adults to make a positive impact on decisions.”

The mentors go down to the middle school once every other week to work on homework together and build a relationship.  Students who were mentors last year continued this year.  New mentors filled out applications and were selected by Zablocki, Thurston, and school principal Heather McKay.

Friend to Friend is grateful for their day of training and can’t wait to share the knowledge with their mentees and in a larger sense, their community.