Eileen Zygarlicke, Coleen Asche, Carmyn Juntunen, Emily Johnsen, Sara Tezel, Kristen Marcott and Beth Lundy

Zygarlicke and her colleagues’ innovative teaching idea, “Mentoring Program,” is designed to teach students the value of education and encourages them to consider further education after high school. The existing program, where teachers are assigned students to meet with and offer the students another positive adult in their lives, will be enhanced with technology. The goal of the program is to mentor students and teach real-life skills, often utilizing videos to enhance the lesson. New projectors, ceiling mounts, and screens for the classrooms will give the at-risk students access to outside information as a means of engaging them in the lesson. Beyond the program, projectors will also be used in the classrooms to engage students and help them connect the content to the world around them. Ultimately, the program benefits students by helping them have a vision for life after high school and giving them the tools they need to confidently compete in a professional environment.