Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Stability and consistency are qualities that mentor Lee Anna Lackey has provided to her mentee, Jade, in the past two years of their relationship at Academy of Choice in Spring Branch ISD.

Jade and Lackey have built a relationship built on trust and honesty.

“She has helped me stay focused,” Jade said of Lackey, who visits her to have lunch once a week as part of the SpringBoard Mentoring Program.

A series of family moves in the past few years could have distracted Jade from completing school, but she has stuck with the alternative high school program at AOC.

“This school has helped me a lot,” said Jade. “I didn’t want to mess up by transferring to another school.”

Jade’s mom, who now lives in another town, has provided encouragement to her daughter to stay in school and be successful. Jade has been living with an aunt this school year.

“She has good family support,” said Lackey. Several cousins are enrolled in college and are role models’ for Jade.

The mentor has met members of Jade’s family at events such as Christmas Bingo, organized by the AOC mentor program coordinator and school counselor, Lindsey Heinzman.

“There is not anything we don’t talk about,” said Lackey, who recently uplifted Jade with a set of inspirational cards.

Lackey, an SBISD parent with three boys who have been or are enrolled in the district, heard about the SBISD mentoring program in a promotional email and volunteered to have a middle or high school mentee. She’s happy she was matched with Jade at Academy of Choice.

Her advice to aspiring mentors is to stay in contact with your mentee and listen a lot. “Be consistent and be willing to talk about anything,” Lackey also advised.

She will be at Jade’s graduation on May 25 and plans to stay in touch after this milestone event.

As the two chatted about Jade’s plans after graduation, they discussed the pros and cons of a variety of next steps the student is considering: military service, community college or a certification course.

Talking it out, Jade seems ready to take on whatever comes next for her knowing that she has persevered to this point in her young life.

If you would like to be a mentor in SBISD for the 2019-2020 school year (and beyond!), please contact mentor@springbranchisd.com or call 713-251-2212.

by Becky Wuerth, SBISD Communications, Becky.wuerth@springbranchisd.com