The Hoosick Falls Central School District and the JLS Foundation are preparing to launch a new program later this school year called Hometown Mentoring. The program will pair college-bound graduates with adult mentors to help ease the academic and social transition from high school to college for Hoosick Falls graduates beginning with the Class of 2015.
Why Hometown Mentoring?
A recent study by Complete College America suggests the overwhelming majority of students attending public colleges do not graduate on time; in fact, the report found that only 19 percent of full-time students earn a bachelor’s degree in four years. Currently, less than 40 percent of Hoosick Falls Central School graduates complete college.
To reverse this trend, this year Hoosick Falls Central School (HFCS) is piloting its College Completion Project, a program that introduces students to career options and helps them develop the skills and the knowledge necessary to successfully complete post-secondary studies and attain a degree or professional certification.
The Hometown Mentoring program is a companion program to the College Completion Project and will utilize a previously untapped resource: successful HFCS graduates from around the country who are willing to share their experiences, time and insight with college-bound high school graduates. Hometown Mentoring will provide every interested HFCS student who is pursuing a two- or four-year college degree or professional certification with a mentor from their hometown who can help them complete college and transition to a successful career path.
HFCS is partnering with the JLS Foundation, a non-profit organization that has been providing mentoring and college scholarships to a small group of HFCS students for the past 10 years. The Foundation was founded by HFCS alumnus John Liporace, Jr. (Class of ’84). Mr. Liporace and another HFCS alumnus, Dr. Todd Wysocki (Class of ’83), who serves on the JLS Foundation Board of Directors, will help lead the Hometown Mentoring effort. As Hoosick Falls Central School graduates, Mr. Liporace and Dr. Wysocki believe strongly in the power of mentorship to help high school students make the often daunting transition to college.
“Having a mentor can be a game changer,” Mr. Liporace said, “especially for students from small communities like Hoosick Falls. For many, attending college is their first experience away from home and they often struggle with that transition.”
Dr. Wysocki says while increasing college completion rates for HFCS graduates is a priority for the Hometown Mentoring program, there are other equally important goals.
“For many students, college is an exciting, yet uncertain time in their lives. Through this mentor program, students will learn to avail themselves of all the opportunities that are offered, which will help enrich the college experience and make it more effective,” he said. “Mentorship presents opportunities for making connections and networking, which will help put students on a trajectory for success after college as well.”
Mr. Liporace has worked with HFCS students through the JLS Foundation, created in 2005 to honor the memory of his father, John Liporace Sr. (JLS), whose passion for education and community service in his hometown of Hoosick Falls served as inspiration for the Foundation. Over the past 10 years, the JLS Foundation has worked closely with five HFCS students each year to help them realize their fullest potential. The Foundation introduces students to inspirational leaders who can show them career possibilities and help them build a professional network while in college and in careers post-college. One student each year is awarded a partial college scholarship. The most important benefit, Liporace has noticed, is the relationships that students build with the professionals who mentor them along their journey.
Inspired by the success of many JLS Foundation finalists, Mr. Liporace decided to mark the 10th anniversary of the Foundation this year by expanding its activities. In late spring, he and Dr. Wysocki, in conjunction with HFCS, will launch the Hometown Mentoring program.
“We are really pleased to be partnering with John and Todd on this initiative and to have the ability to offer our students additional support in their transition from high school to higher education,” said Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Facin. “Many of our graduates are first-generation college students and will benefit tremendously from this mentoring program”
How It Will Work
The Hometown Mentoring program will pair HFCS graduates with mentors from their own hometown. Mentors must be from the Town of Hoosick, enjoy a high-level of success in their profession and be willing to invest the time needed to mentor a student.
Mr. Liporace and Dr. Wysocki are securing HFCS alumni to serve as hometown mentors and expect to have approximately 50 quality mentors enrolled in the first year. It is anticipated that mentoring will happen virtually via phone, Skype or other communication technology; in-person mentoring is not a requirement.
Mentors will participate each year in leadership training provided by Dr. Wysocki’s Reframing Leadership Consulting. The training will occur via phone or video conference.
Hoosick Falls alumni who are interested in becoming a hometown mentor should email jls@thejlsfoundation.org for more information.
HFCS is developing a list of students interested in the mentoring program and will finalize the list to ensure that every interested college-bound senior is assigned a hometown mentor in the spring. Students will be matched with mentors based on criteria such as college choice and field of study.