Congratulations to Gilbertsville-Mount Upton’s Mentoring Program, which was recently highlighted in the CFES Brilliant Pathways Summit.

The following is an excerpt from an article titled “CFES Summit Highlights Cutting Edge Mentoring Programs from Educators Across the Country,” originally published by Newswise on March 2, 2021.

“In rural schools where mentors can be harder to find … Heather Wilcox, principal at Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School, created a peer mentoring program to ensure consistent meetings.

The newly expanded program at GMU, a partnership between the school and CFES, has Pre-K through 5th graders meeting weekly with mentors in grades 6 through 12. The students learn social and life skills through a series of activities, including a pen pal program with writing prompts and holiday cards.

‘It’s really about relationships,’ says Wilcox. ‘It’s changing lives.’ ”

Click here to watch Mrs. Wilcox’s presentation during the CFES Brilliant Pathways webinar titled “Mentoring Summit: Engage the New Age” here:  Her presentation begins around the 6-minute mark.

Note: “Lunch with Mentors” photo above was taken in January 2020 (pre-COVID closures).