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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 6, 2006 Jackson Elementary second-grader Tori Danielson and her buddy, North Medford senior Karisa Kuykendall, work together in the stairwell during the lunch break. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Some buddy cares Mentoring program brings students together By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune As a student at North Medford High School, Karina Rizo felt good about mentoring pupils at Hoover, Lincoln and Lone Pine elementary schools. Three years ago, Rizo got a job as a teacher at Jackson Elementary and last year brought the mentoring program to the school. "The teachers were talking about things we could do to get mentors for kids," Rizo said. "I remembered doing the Buddy Program and asked the principal about it." Principal Tom Ettel said he had no one to coordinate the program, so Rizo volunteered. Advertisement Now, every Thursday about 55 students from North Medford High School flock to the Jackson campus to claim an elementary pupil. NMHS student Danielle Johnson has taken on the Buddy Program as her senior project. The teenagers spend about an hour with the children, chatting, reading books, playing games and being buddies. "We have a lot of kids here at the poverty level," Rizo said. "There are a lot of behavioral problems, and a lot of kids are dying for attention but in a positive way." The program has curbed the number of disciplinary referrals at the school on Thursdays, Ettel said. "Typically, on Thursdays there is a high number of referrals because we are not quite at the end of the week," he said. "The adults have a little less patience." Having high school students on campus to monitor the children helps ease the tension for teachers. The visits are a delight for the children, he said. "The kids all beg for a buddy," he said. This year, Rizo’s younger sister, Patty Chavez, a junior at North Medford High School, has befriended third-grader Rosa Quiroz. Rosa said the visits make her feel "happy." "Patty is nice," Rosa said. "We go to the library and go out to play. Sometimes we do puzzles." Rizo participated in the Buddy Program during her sophomore, junior and senior years in high school. "The kids I mentored all needed a role model," she said. "They had problems at home and didn’t get enough attention. "One needed help with school work. Another girl wanted to play. She didn’t have any friends at school." The experience helped Rizo prepare for a career as a teacher. "I got to know what kind of problems elementary kids have and the importance of them having a role model," she said. Rizo graduated from North Medford in 1999. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education from Western Oregon University and a master’s degree from Southern Oregon University before joining the faculty at Jackson. Carole Schuler, a teacher at North Medford, founded the Buddy Program about 11 years ago based on a Big Brother, Big Sister project at Kennedy Elementary launched by Samantha Yaple, then a senior at North. The program has grown from six participants at Kennedy Elementary School to about 250 at six schools: Jackson, Hoover, Kennedy, Lone Pine, Lincoln and Wilson, Schuler said. In 2002, participation in the program had grown to more than 400, but that declined after the Medford School District slashed child development specialist positions at the elementary schools, she said. The child development specialists, who were responsible for working with troubled children, had been coordinating the program at each school. Schuler said teachers took on the duties of the program, but reduced the number of participants so they could better manage the extra duties. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail Some buddy cares ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Absinthe Supply Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Debt Consolidation California Casinos Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada King of Spirits Email Security Advertisement s Advertisement