Think you might want to work with a highly motivated teenager? The Anchorage School District’s Mentorship Program for gifted students might be a great opportunity for you. Gifted juniors and seniors work with mentors in many different capacities, assisting and observing them in their day-to-day activities.
Mentorships give students real-life experiences in a wide range of professions,
from architecture to zoology. Here are some highlights of just a few of our exceptional mentors and students from 2006-2007.
The mentorship program was really fortunate to have Joe Pearson, chief pilot for Fed Ex, become a mentor. He created
an incredible opportunity for our student, Andrew Smith. Andrew, a Steller student, got to see the inner workings of Fed Ex, from the ground up. Literally. He ‘job-shadowed’ several different employees at Fed Ex’s aviation office, from the ground crew to pilots. No doubt, the most exciting parts of his mentorship were ‘flying’ a plane in the flight simulator and sitting in the co-pilot’s seat for a real flight.
 This year, the award-winning Anchorage Aces joined the mentorship program and worked with two unique students. A motivated Service student, Michael Mauer, inspired us to connect him with a sports marketing expert. George Sandoval had visited Michael’s class to speak about marketing and asked for student interns. Michael truly wanted to work with George and learn about this career in an exciting, real-life atmosphere. Fortunately for Michael, George agreed to mentor him and provided
an experience of a lifetime. |
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Another ambitious student, Chris Frenier of South Anchorage High School, wanted a mentorship with the Anchorage Aces in sports broadcasting. We immediately
thought of local celebrity, Jack Michaels. Jack willingly accepted Chris as a mentee. Chris spent several games with Jack and visiting broadcasters, learning the art of play-by-play broadcasting.
The Department of Fish and Game, a long-time supporter of the mentorship program, often provides mentors for our students who are interested in wildlife biology.
Jesse Coltrane was a superb mentor for our West High student, Alena Gerlek. It was fortuitous for Alena that she did her mentorship in the spring because she got to accompany Jesse in tracking many female moose during the calving season. Incredibly, Alena witnessed the birth of a moose during
her mentorship.
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