Students, mentors matched

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

The idea is neither complex nor new. Give a child a mentor and success is sure to follow.

Students at 12 schools were chosen to be part of The Century Program, which is the brainchild of the Foundation for Excellent Schools, a national nonprofit educational organization. The program, which also operates in 55 other schools nationwide, is made possible by private donations. About $725,000 was raised locally since last summer.

Ray McNulty, co-director of the program in Hawai'i, said it targets students in "high-need communities" where the idea of going to college is seldom, if ever, discussed at home.

"In the United States, every child is born free," McNulty told a group of educators, parents and children at Sanford B. Dole Middle School, which has 72 sixth-graders in the program. "They are not born wise. The purpose of democracy is to educate them."

But too many schools function under an outdated system from decades ago, one that sent many students into labor and industry and not to colleges, he said.

"Today, if you leave high school without a diploma you are unlikely to have a productive life," he said.

McNulty said the program wants to change the expectations in students so that they graduate knowing they can attend college if they desire. At least 100 students from each school will participate.

"It's not the way it is now," he said. "But it's the way it will be."

The Century Program provides the state with another tool aimed at encouraging students to think about college. GEAR UP Hawai'i, which is financed by a $10 million federal grant, provides college resources, scholarship opportunities, tutoring and other services as a way to prepare middle school students for college.

None of the parents of the Century group from Dole has a college degree and many of their children viewed college as a scary place "with bullies," said school principal Myron Monte. A field trip to the University of Hawai'i-Manoa changed minds, and visits by the young mentors to the Kalihi school reinforced the concept that college is OK, he said.

Best of all, it appears to be influencing students who are not in the program, low-achievers who are starting to see the light, Monte said.

"They begin to see new role models in their life," he said.

It also helps that the mentors are young.

"It's not some old person telling you it's important to your future," Monte said.

One of the mentors is Ashley Pallas, a cheery 19-year-old UH freshman from Michigan. She said she is "lucky and blessed" to be a mentor, even if does mean an occasional one-hour bus ride from Manoa to Kalihi.

"I did a lot (of) service learning in high school," Pallas said. "It's something about giving your time to others. It's so rewarding."

Her impact is being felt by such students as Denia Newo, an 11-year-old sixth-grader. The UH tour put friendly faces on college students and that did the trick, she said with a broad grin.

"When I saw the smiles on the students there, I decided I wanted to go to college," she said. "So ... I'm going to college!"

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.