The Wilderness Elementary School mentoring program, LAMP (Literacy and Mentoring Program), had its first trip to the school on Thursday October 20th. This club leaves Riverbend every Thursday at 2:15 to go to Wilderness Elementary and returns back to Riverbend around 3:15. The purpose of LAMP is to help first, second, fourth, and fifth graders that need just a little bit of extra assistance in reading or other subjects. Viany Ortiz, sophomore, said, “I decided to join LAMP because I like to help others in any way that I can, and this seemed like a really fun way to do so.” In LAMP, each member of the club is paired with an elementary school buddy and helps them with their school work and whatever they need. The elementary students form a bond with the Riverbend students and often feel like they can talk about anything with them.
Members of LAMP were carefully selected based on their teacher recommendations and their application which asked what they are involved in and why they wanted to do LAMP. Mrs. Treakle, the LAMP adviser said, “We had a crazy amount of people who applied this year and that was both good and bad because a lot of people were interested, but it made it such a hard decision.” Some students not selected were deemed alternates just in case a member can’t make it many Thursdays in a row. The students involved get community service hours for their weekly assistance and can help make a big impact on a kid’s life. For this club, attendance is critical because the elementary students look forward to seeing their buddy every week and it is a big disappointment if they are not there. Emily Maida, sophomore, mentioned, “I love the idea of making a positive impact on a kid’s life. It’s gonna be a fun year.”