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Carlton students realize dreams through mentorship program

Oct 16, 2017 | 12:17 PM

Students in Carlton Comprehensive High School’s drama program have found personal success mentoring their fellow students, and helping them in realizing their career goals.

For David Zulkoskey, the head of the Carlton drama program, helping students help other students is a proud accomplishment.

“I became a teacher because I enjoy working with young people, and I would like to think that part of the goal of education is to build a better tomorrow,” Zulkoskey said. “What better way than to see young people realize that they have an actual talent to teach, or realize that they want to help other people?”

Zulkoskey said he’s always felt people should take a drama class to not just better their public speaking, but also build confidence and learn how people interact with each other. He believed the class creates leaders who understand society’s social dynamics.

Grade 12 student Jordyn Pillar first got involved in the mentoring program earlier this year because she said she was tired of using her spare period to study chemistry. Pillar said mentoring students has changed her educational path from biology to education.

“I love working with children and youth of all ages,” Pillar said. “When you see them thrive based on the help and guidance you gave them, it’s a feeling like no other.”

To become a mentor, students volunteer their time during spares have in their schedule. The mentoring involves working one-on-one with students with not just stage performance, but also with the technical side of drama like lighting or staging.

Zulkoskey said the mentoring students don’t become teachers. Volunteers obtain a special credit for the work they put in and act as guides, passing on the knowledge they’ve obtained through their previous years in the drama program.

Jordan Slaunwhite had aspirations to become an actor following high school. Since becoming a mentor, he also decided he’d like to pursue a career as a drama teacher.

“Seeing the classes being mentored and talking to mentors… I kinda thought, ‘I want to light a fire in people,’” Slaunwhite said. “I want to get people pumped about drama, and acting, and preforming, and I think the most wide-spread way I can do that is become a teacher.”  

Chloe Sanderson is another Grade 12 mentor. She said some of the younger students she’s worked with in her first six weeks have already shown major breakthroughs. She figured it’s because students can relate to her better than they could a teacher.

“When I first got in there, they didn’t want to work, didn’t want to respond,” Sanderson said. “It’s different to see how [students] respond to me, a female high school student as opposed to the teacher.”

Sanderson said she knew she always wanted to be a teacher, but since she’s started mentoring her education path has changed.

“When I was in Grade 9, I planned on majoring in math and minoring in English,” she said. “As I started doing my drama classes, I was like ‘I really enjoy this, why can’t I major in drama?’ and as I did this, I [thought] ‘no, I’m going to minor in drama.’”

The mentorship program has also had another impact on students. Zulkoskey attributed the recent growth and interest in the drama program to the mentors work over the years. He said this year, he’s now running three Grade 10 drama classes this semester.

“Last year, my Grade 10 enrollment went up,” Zulkoskey said. “With the Grade 9s seeing a senior student who’s actively passionate about theater, and involved in what I’m doing in the classroom, and it was a phenomenal success.”

 

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca
On Twitter: @BryanEneas