Mentor Requirements

1. Complete a mentor application prior to the September 13, 2010 deadline. To ensure you receive the school of your choice, knoxAchieves strongly encourages applying early.

1. Attend one of the mentor training sessions. These will last approximately two hours and cover all information needed to be an effective mentor.

1. Make initial contact with the student(s) prior to December 1, 2010. This should be a call to the student’s home. knoxAchieves urges you to introduce yourself to parents prior to speaking with the student(s).

1. Meet with the students and their families at the first team meeting. This meeting will be held at the schools in early December. The first meeting familiarizes the families with knoxAchieves and its requirements. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the students as well as the parents/guardians.

1. Although knoxAchieves understands busy schedules, we strongly encourage you to attend all team meetings. Along with the December meeting, each school will also have a January and a February meeting. This will further the relationship between the mentor and the student as well as ensure the student is meeting other critical deadlines (e.g. ACT registration, college application deadlines).

1. At the very minimum, make arrangements to have a follow-up meeting with the students in early January to discuss the importance of completing the Free Application to Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to the February 1, 2011 deadline.

1. Check in with your students on a monthly basis. This may require a one-on-one session with the students but can be as simple as a reminder text message of upcoming events and/or deadlines. knoxAchieves will periodically ask you to update us on your students’ progress.

1. Keep in touch with your students over the summer as knoxAchieves requires an early class registration deadline. Many of the students will need to complete confirmation tests prior to class registration.

1. Encourage your students in the weeks leading up to their first day of college. This is an intimidating time for the students and often for their families as well. Be there to lessen the uncertainty and direct them to the appropriate person to answer their questions and/or concerns.

1. Relay information on community service opportunities. The student must complete their first eight (8) hours of community service prior to the end of the first semester. The student must report this information to you including dates, times, location, organization, etc.

* Keep in mind, each student is different with regard to motivation, sense of urgency, work ethic, ability to meet deadlines, and other important characteristics associated with college access success. Some students will require much more time than others. knoxAchieves anticipates an average time commitment of 15 hours from September 2010 training to August 2011 student orientation.