Important Documents 2015-16

Mentoring Tips:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5o2H17IHvY2eG92bjkyeXEyZFU

Roles and Responsibilities:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5o2H17IHvY2bGJuMEpKNFc0aDQ

Calendar:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5o2H17IHvY2M1Y4dzhVNDJfUnc

Application:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5o2H17IHvY2MWp5NkhoRDJBdm94RUFwa0k1NUxIeVhsQUZj

Starting the Year Off Right!

Mentoring students start the year off right, making dinner the night before classes started at Sarah's Circle.  We would like to give our thanks to Rotary, United Airlines, and O'Hare Airport who supplied us with zipper pouches filled with toiletries and socks and who also donated slippers for the women.
A great time was had by all!

Mentoring Calendar 2015-16

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5o2H17IHvY2M1Y4dzhVNDJfUnc

Photo with US Senator Durbin

Mentoring and Leadership Students Take Off!

On Wed, April 29, Mentoring and Leadership students had the opportunity of a behind the scenes experience at United Airlines hosted by Charles Duncan, VP of United Airlines.  Earlier in the fall, students took the ASVAB test and scores were aligned with careers at United.  Students had job shadows in different areas of United's O'Hare operations, including In-Flight, Cargo, Ramp, Customer Service, Safety, Business, Flight Operations, and Station Operations Center.  Later, mock interviews were conducted by United's HR department.  

The Ridgewood Mentoring Mission

The Case Study Method

What is a case?

A case is a description of a management situation. Most cases range in length from two totwenty five pages of text and exhibits; the latter often present quantitative material. So-called field cases are largely based on data provided by the organization that is the focus of the case. Library cases are drawn from published material in the public domain. A case is not written to illustrate correct or incorrect handling of an administrative situation, nor is there an editorial bias that implies a particular conclusion. A chronological series of cases based on a single organization is sometimes used to expose the student to an organization’s cumulative experience with a situation.

Excerpted from

Case Studies for Harvard Business School​

 http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/research/Documents/Case%20Studies%20for%20Harvard%20Business%20School_Brochure.pdf

What is the Ridgewood Mentoring Mission?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVPYq4jwKd8

Program Brochure:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5o2H17IHvY2QXJJMmFrVDBsWnM/edit?usp=docslist_api

Program Partners:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5o2H17IHvY2T2diQVZZTERnOGs/edit?usp=docslist_api

2014-2015 Calendar:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5o2H17IHvY2bGJmSzNna1htNWc/edit?usp=docslist_api

Almost 1,000 Sandwiches Later...

After three days of hard work assembling and delivering, Ridgewood freshmen, junior mentors, and adult mentors have combined their efforts with the Night Ministry and Salvation Army to make sack suppers to feed the hungry in Chicago.  This year, we were joined with Captain Nancy and Henry, who presented their hopes and goals for this project.  Henry, who once was on the streets himself, recounted that it was the kindness of others in the form of a sandwich that inspired him to join the Salvation Army in their work.  After hearing his story, the students and adults were driven to work together and continue the kindness shown to Henry.  Not only did students deliver the sandwich suppers, but they also passed out gloves and scarves and other supplies needed for the harsh cold and wrapped presents.  Students also worked with Ridgewood art classes to help decorate O'Hare Airport for their annual Fantasy Flight.  This program allows chronically and terminally ill children and their families to fly to the "North Pole."  This project was a great success because of the community's generous support.  Huge thank you's to Captains Nancy and Brian and Henry from the Salvation Army, United Airlines, Ridgewood High School, and junior and adult mentors, especially Helen, Rogelio, Ian, Chuck, Beth, Pat, Mike N, and John B.  Merry Christmas and have a great holiday!

 

On the Town: Mentors Meet with the Blackhawks and Salvation Army

Mentors had the opportunity on November 17th to venture downtown on the L.  First stop was meeting Mr. Steve Waight at the United Center.  Last year, Mr. Waight helped Mr. Duncan in presenting a case on the Blackhawks.  This year, he talked to the group about his role as Senior Executive Director for Corporate Sponsorships for the team as well as his path from college to finding a job with the team.  Other members of his marketing team also discussed marketing and being leaders in their field.  

Afterward, it was a quick walk to the Billy Goat Tavern for lunch.  It was a great opportunity to see a great institution in Chicago's history, inspiring a Saturday Night Live Sketch.  Pictured is the group congregating around the goat.

Last stop on the trip was the Salvation Army where Captain Nancy Davis talked about sandwich making with the Ridgewood Mentors and freshmen.  She was joined by Henry, who shared his story of being swept off the street by the Salvation Army and going through the steps to overcome a drug addiction.  He now works with community outreach to get the homeless into their care.  

Thank you to Mr. Waight and the Blackhawks and Captain Nancy and the Salvation Army for imparting their wisdom on service and leadership!

Up and At 'Em at Sarah's Circle

Most students would sleep in during a Faculty Institute Day at RHS.  But the mentoring kids were up and at 'em at 6:30 AM, driving down to Sarah's Circle Women's Shelter in Uptown.   Mentoring students made and served hot breakfast including pancakes, sausage, orange slices and fresh hot coffee.  They were also able to hand out the United Airlines personal hygiene zipper bags.  Thank you to Rotary, Pastor, Frank Ward, Charles Duncan, and the women at Sarah's circle for inspiring us to work for the greater good.  

Mentors Volunteer for Sarah's Circle! (Part 2)

Today, August 16th, we had the opportunity to make and serve breakfast at Sarah's Circle.  As the sun rose bright and early on the Chicago lakefront, we were busily preparing cups of coffee and plates of sausage links, pancakes, and watermelon to serve to the women at the shelter.  Thanks to the contributions of the junior and adult mentor partners, especially the DiPiero family and Nuccio D'Argento, we were able to serve over thirty homeless and at-risk women in the shelter and had plenty of food left over.  After breakfast was served, we passed out toiletry kits donated by United Airlines and the Rotary organizations of Rosemont and Norridge-Harwood Heights.  We would like to thank everyone involved in today's event and we wish Sarah's Circle our best wishes for the future!

Lina Hawari lays out sausage on a pan.

Alexis Roth and Mary Ennis set up cups.

Kevin Moore pours coffee.

Sabrina Krasinski and Deana Hanns flip pancakes.

Deana Hanns and Kevin Moore serve to the women.

A group picture after we finished!

Mentors Volunteer for Sarah's Circle!

Pictured: Mentors Alexis Roth and Deana Hanns assemble toiletry kits.

We would like to thank United Airlines, Rosemont Rotary, and Norridge-Harwood Heights Rotary for their generous donations to make toiletry kits.  Be on the lookout for the mentors when they come and make breakfast with Sarah's Circle on August 16th!  Sarah's Circle is a Chicago-based organization that seeks to serve homeless and at-risk women.  For more info, you can visit http://www.sarahs-circle.org.  We look forward to working with them!

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS 2014-2015

Student Mentor Application

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5o2H17IHvY2MWp5NkhoRDJBdm94RUFwa0k1NUxIeVhsQUZj/edit?usp=docslist_api

2014-2015 Calendar

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5o2H17IHvY2X0FYWjN2WHZzUGc/edit?usp=docslist_api

Program FAQs

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5o2H17IHvY2bGJuMEpKNFc0aDQ/edit?usp=docslist_api

Ridgewood Mentors Soar in 2013-2014!

     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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Student take off to United Airlines

Our last session with United Airlines VP Charles Duncan ended with a job shadow style field trip at the various departments in United Airlines.

As we walked out of the school, we were pleasantly welcomed by a United Airlines bus that took us to O'hare Airport. Once we were able to get through security, we headed to the United Airlines terminal and met in a conference room where we we're given a brief outline of our day and where we were able to meet the employees we were going to shadow. For about three hours, all the student mentors split up into groups shadowing pilots, flight attendants, cargo workers, mechanics, etc.and were able to see behind the scenes of the airline business. Once our shadowing was done, we were given a thorough presentation of what the employers look for in potential employees and ways we can improve our resumes and find career opportunities. 

As a final surprise, Mr. Duncan took us across to the airport where we were able to view a flight tower (first picture below), where we got a breath-taking panoramic view of the city skyline and a view of the planes coming in and out of O'hare. Here are some picture of our trip below:

The trip was truly a life changing experience for all of us and we cannot thank Mr. Duncan as well as Mrs. Barry enough, for giving us such an eye-opening, once in a lifetime opportunity. 

United Airlines picture credit: http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/united_continental_logo_det.gif

Students channel their inner Martha Stewart

As our sandwich making season came to an end, we decided we wanted to do more to help out the community around us. This year, our freshmen channeled their inner Martha Stewart and made cards -with supplies from the students themselves and the mentors- for Hot Delivered Wheels recipients so they can be given to their family and friends. Below are a few pictures of some of the Freshmen House students working:

"When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson