GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

PATRIOT PAIRS MENTORING PROGRAM

DECEMBER 2015

The Patriot Pairs Mentoring Program started in

the fall of 2014 and has been growing ever
since! We now have both freshman and
sophomore mentees, all of whom are low income
George students who do not have a parent who
attended a four year college. Our caring and well
trained mentors meet with their mentees each
Wednesday morning for 90 minutes to help with
homework, improve study skills, promote good
attendance and study habits, and provide encouragement and accountability.
And its working! Seven of our Patriot Pairs mentees made the honor roll both the first
and second semesters last year. In our year-end survey last year, all 17 of our
responding mentees rated the program as good, very good or excellent. Thirteen of 17
responders reported that having a mentor helped them do better in school. Our
mentees said that they learned from their mentors "to be responsible, "do work
accurately," "work hard and go to class," "scholarship opportunities that are available
to me," and "good ways to talk to teachers." Mentees told us that their mentors "helped
me to communicate with people," "motivated me" and "taught me to always push
yourself even if you want to give up." Our mentees learned the benefit of hard work
and how to advocate for themselves at school!
So many people have helped us! All of Georges administrators have been supportive.
We have received training and help from Georges counselors, teachers, the social
worker, the psychologist, the nurse and others. DPS has helped us by providing
background checks, trainers and other support. We are establishing Patriot Pairs
Mentoring Program traditions and the community has stepped up to help with those.
Brothers BBQ hosts our annual beginning of the school year BBQ, Stephen Brehr
Rabbit Brackett of the Flobots inspired our students with rap at our annual holiday
breakfast and we celebrated the end of the year with a great year end brunch.
Throughout the year, Basil Docs, Einstein Bagels, Starbucks and King Soopers helped
with food for our events and trainings.

Motivation Matters. Our program serves low income students

who qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch program.
None of our mentees have a parent who attended a four-year
college. Coming from these backgrounds, our students often
need encouragement and motivation to understand the
importance of education in their future choices. It can be difficult
to motivate these teenagers to make constructive choices when
so many negative influences and unhealthy choices are so visible
in their lives. Liberty Media Corporation donated some amazing
Nuggets tickets to us that that allowed us to construct semesterlong competitions for our freshmen and sophomore classes
encouraging the behaviors that lead to high school academic
success: grades, attitude, attendance (fewer unexcused tardies
and absences), academic progress, and turning in progress
reports showing that the students are tracking what their grades
are and whether they have any missing assignments. Would you
or your company like to donate an incentive?
615 GARFIELD ST. DENVER CO 80206

PATRIOTPAIRS.WEEBLY.COM

OUR DONORS
Alums & Friends of GW
David and Merril Aschkinasi
Basil Docs
Dennis and Michele Bauer
Laurie and Andrew Brock
Jennifer Bruny
Brothers BBQ
Devin and Marin Clapper
Comcast Corporation
Tracy Dunning
Einstein Bros Bagels at 220 Quebec St.
Elisa and Richard Erickson
Frame By Frame frame shop
Linda Fuller
George Washington High School IB
Parents Association
Nancy Graham
Wendy and Michael Handler
Cynthia and Craig Hansen
James Hubbell
Cynthia and Ed Kahn
Alan Lanctot
Amy Kennedy and Steve Miller
King Soopers at Leetsdale and Monaco
Lisa and Keith Lubliner
Beth McCann and Toff Linsmayer
Maggie Miller and Douglas Gerner
Liberty Media Corporation
Linda Mitchell and Kenneth
NeeperElisa Moran and Gary Kleinman
Mike Miller
Christy Murphy and Norm Mueller
The Nathan Yip Foundation
Elizabeth Neid
Peak Learning Solutions
Jessica and Jeff Pearson
Adam Press
Burt and Rona Press
Caren Press
Jim Ricketts
Andrea Stanton
Catherine Storey
Robert Thomson and Anita Sanborn
Gary and Melissa Schwartz
Starbucks at 5835 Leetsdale
Tech For All

303-520-5432

GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

PATRIOT PAIRS MENTORING PROGRAM
DECEMBER 2015

THE
TECHNOLOGICAL
DIVIDE

OUR
MENTORS
Our
Mentors

Patriot Pairs mentees qualify for the

federal free and reduced lunch program
and are impacted by the inability of low
income students to purchase the
technology needed to help them
succeed in school. We are determined
to bridge this divide for our mentees.
With the help of Tech For All, a Denver
nonprofit, we have given computers to
all of our mentees so they can do their
homework at home. Comcast has
helped us make sure that our mentees
have high speed internet and Wi-Fi at
their homes. Also, we have learned that
low income students who cannot afford
a graphing calculator to use at home are
at an educational disadvantage. With
the help of a grant from the Nathan Yip
Foundation and the generosity of
donors to our Fathers Day campaign,
we have given our mentees brand new
TI-83 graphing calculators. The more
students use graphing calculators, the
more comfortable they become with
them and the mathematical concepts
that graphing calculators help teach.
Students need graphing calculators at
home to do their homework. And,
certain important tests, such as AP
tests, the PSAT and the SAT allow
students to use a graphing calculator
only. Students who have a lot of
practice using graphing calculators do
better.

Thank you to our committed, well trained,

compassionate, persistent and caring mentors. We
could not have the program without you! Our
mentors range in age from 35 to 86, and most have full
time jobs unrelated to education. Each one of them is
changing a life!
Jeff Auerbach
Vince Bowen
Jean Brennan
Steve Brown
Jay Clapper
Lisa Emerson
Gary Emrich
Lauren Engle
Debbie Frazier
Linda Fuller
Susan Gindin

Cathy Holland
Regina Jackson
John Kelty
Michael Kephart
Kathy Kilmer
Maggie Miller
Libby Neid
Peter Peterson
Gordon Phair
Karen Rutledge
Rich Sandstrom

Taye Sanford
Cindy Shearer
Tyler Shepard
Rebekah Spetnagel
Jan Spitzer
Bob Thomson
Beth Vagle
Jill Van de Water
Esther Varadi
Lisabeth Warshafsky

Please consider becoming a Patriot Pairs mentor. You

will change a students life, and it may be one of the
most fulfilling experiences of your life!

We Could Use Your Help!

(We are an all-volunteer program)
I would like to make a tax deductible donation to the George
Washington High School Patriot Pairs Mentoring Program.
Name: _________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________
E-Mail: _________________________________________
$ 95.00 Pays for a graphing calculator for a student
$______ Any amount helps with school supplies, training
materials, mentee enrichment activities and program materials.
I am interested in becoming a mentor or learning more about
it.
Make checks payable to: GW High School/Patriot Pairs
Mail to: Patriot Pairs, c/o Caren Press, 615 Garfield St.
Denver, CO 80206

In addition to better school attendance and a better chance of going on to higher education,
mentored youth maintain better attitudes toward school. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! CAREN PRESS, VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR
615 GARFIELD ST. DENVER CO 80206

PATRIOTPAIRS.WEEBLY.COM

303-520-5432