The Ridgewood Mentors had another fantastic and productive year with their growing partnership with Charles Duncan and United Airlines. The mentoring year took off for us in September with a trip to O'Hare Airport where students were able to view the inner workings of this international transport hub. We also had the privilege of seeing the job interview process at work with a mock interview given by a United Airlines manager.
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| Mentors discuss layaway problems at the airport. |
Whether on the runway, atop a communication tower, or in the cockpit, we saw employees devoted to serving their customers to the best of their ability.
It was this very devotion to customers that Mr. Duncan also explored with us each month in case study sessions. In a structure similar to that of classes at Harvard Business School, we discussed case studies dealing with organizations from IKEA to the Chicago Blackhawks and Trader Joe's to United Airlines itself.
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| Mr. Duncan talks about the Chicago Blackhawks. |
The year-long case studying culminated in May with a presentation of each individual case by groups of five students each to college professors. With Mr. Duncan's guidance from the discussions, we were able to explore a business situation from multiple perspectives, identify a problem, and then propose solutions and evaluate their effects.
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| Students present their case to the professors. |
The mentors also continued their work guiding the freshmen each month. With our respective adult mentors, we met with our groups of students to discuss executive functions like goal setting and time management. Aside from these discussions, students and adult mentors also kept the yearly tradition of making sandwiches for the city's needy during the winter. Community members and mentors themselves contributed the ingredients for the meals and so we joined our efforts together for a great cause. Later as spring approached, the Ridgewood student community came together again. With the "Cups Song" as our inspiration, Mentoring Coordinator Mrs. Barry and Mentor Mrs. McGready showed us the steps to the routine. In turn, the mentors showed the routine to their student groups. After some practice, the Freshman House erupted in a "Cups Song" frenzy, and then applause for our efforts. It goes to show that a community can do wonderful things together.
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| Practicing the "Cups Song." |
Though the school year may be over, the Ridgewood Mentors' work surely is not! From helping the Senior Assistance Program deliver meals across town
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| Delivering meals with the Senior Assistance Program. |
to facilitating Ridgewood's iPad Rollout, we are hard at work during the summer to reach out to the community and make next year an even better one. Who knows where the Ridgewood Mentors will show up in the coming year?!
Photo credits to iHigh, Ms. Barry, and Norridge-Harwood Heights News
