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OFE News Release

2007-08 Academic All-State Alumni Mentors Recognized

May 28, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Twenty-three young adults recently completed a semester or more of volunteer service as Academic All-State Alumni Mentors, providing academic support and encouragement to elementary school students in five Oklahoma communities.

The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring program, coordinated by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, matches former Academic All-State Scholars with students at targeted elementary schools in NORMAN, OKLAHOMA CITY, TULSA, STILLWATER, and WEATHERFORD. Mentors commit to spending at least one hour each week meeting one-on-one with an assigned elementary student.

The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a non-profit, charitable organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Each year, the foundation presents Academic All-State Scholarships to 100 of Oklahoma’s best and brightest public high school seniors. Through the Mentoring Program, All-State alumni have an opportunity to continue their affiliation with the foundation by volunteering as mentors and making a difference in the lives of children who are academically as risk.

“Mentoring has been proven to benefit children both academically and personally. Our mentors often provide both friendship and academic tutoring for their mentees,” said program director Jennifer Geren. “Pairs do everything from reading together to completing art and science projects together. During their time together, mentors and mentees develop friendships that change not only the student’s life, but the mentor’s life as well.”

In some situations, mentors are given selected activities to assist their students in areas of specific need, Geren said. In other situations, mentors are encouraged to develop their own activities and lesson plans.

Cory Giles, a 2006 Academic All-State alumnus from Broken Arrow, served for a second year as a mentor at Crutcho Elementary School in northeast Oklahoma City. Once he discovered that his mentee was a hands-on learner, he tried to plan science projects each week that allowed them to build and learn together.

“My goal is to have fun and to teach Calvin about life and science at the same time,” Giles said. “I want to show him that projects sometimes take work, but that the feeling of accomplishment and of learning more about the world is worth it.” Throughout the year Giles and his mentee looked at different specimens under the microscope and put together an electromagnetic motor and radio.

Jamie Pelfrey, a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus from Tonkawa, said that mentoring at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater allowed her to relearn life’s lessons through the eyes of a kindergartener. “This experience has been exciting and rewarding, but most of all it has been humbling,” she said. “It has taught me to watch my actions, for no matter how small, you never know who is right beside you looking up.”

Tiffany Foster, a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus from Tuttle, saw great academic improvement in her mentee at Celia Clinton Elementary in Tulsa. Over the course of the year, her mentee progressed from a struggling reader to one of the best readers in her class. Foster said she benefited from the experience even more than her mentee. “Leaving campus once a week to hang out at an elementary school continually reminds me to enjoy every day.”

The Academic All-State Alumni Mentoring Program is part of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence’s David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative. Through the mentoring initiative, the Foundation is working with school districts and its network of 200 public school foundations to promote mentoring as a positive step toward academic excellence. To learn more about the mentoring initiative, visit www.okmentors.org.

(EDITORS: Academic All-State Alumni Mentors are listed below by hometown and by the communities in which they volunteer. If you would like contact information or more details on a mentor in your area, please contact Jennifer Geren at 405-410-1523.)

BLANCHARD- Austin Slaymaker is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in political science and international business at the University of Oklahoma. He volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.

BOISE CITY- Summer James is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in business/pre-medicine at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.

BROKEN ARROW- Cory Giles is a 2006 Academic All-State alumnus and a senior majoring in biology at Oklahoma Christian University. Giles is also an employee of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. He volunteered at Crutcho Elementary School in northeast Oklahoma City.

CACHE- Shayla Burnett is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in environmental science at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

EDMOND- Munim Deen is a 2005 Academic All-State alumnus and a junior majoring in microbiology at the University of Oklahoma. He volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.

ENID- Hannah Denker is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in elementary education at the Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

FLETCHER- Amy Myers is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore majoring in early childhood education at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

HEALDTON- Katie Knutter is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in political science at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.

KINGFISHER- Jamie Quitoriano is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in zoology at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.

LAVERNE- Dana McBee is a 2006 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore majoring in mass communications at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at East Elementary in Weatherford.

MAYSVILLE- Jamie Pelfrey is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a junior majoring in aerospace and mechanical engineering at Oklahoma State University. Pelfrey works at Kaplan as an instructor/tutor. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

MOUNDS- Laura Bennett is a 2006 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore majoring in public relations at the University of Oklahoma. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.

MULDROW- Rebecca Bedford is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in biochemistry at the University of Tulsa. She volunteered at Celia Clinton Elementary School in Tulsa.

NORMAN- Eight University of Oklahoma students recently completed a semester or more of service as Academic All-State Alumni Mentors at Madison Elementary School in Norman. The mentors are Austin Slaymaker of Blanchard, Summer James of Boise City, Munim Deen of Edmond, Katie Knutter of Healdton, Jamie Quitoriano of Kingfisher, Laura Bennett of Mounds and Rebekah Husted of Prague. Norman resident Kaitlyn Fu is a 2004 Academic All-State alumna and a senior majoring in philosophy at the University of Oklahoma. She also works as a pharmacy tech at St. Anthony Hospital.

OKLAHOMA CITY- Cory Giles of Broken Arrow is a 2006 Academic All-State alumnus and a senior majoring in biology at Oklahoma Christian University. Giles is also an employee of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. He volunteered at Crutcho Elementary School in northeast Oklahoma City.

Rachael Johnston is a 2006 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Tulsa. She volunteered at Celia Clinton Elementary in Tulsa.

Laura Morton is a 2005 Academic All-State alumnus and a junior majoring in architecture at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

PERRY- Ry Fleming is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in business at Oklahoma State University. He volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

PRAGUE- Rebekah Husted is a 2005 Academic All-State alumnus and a senior majoring in public relations and political science at the University of Oklahoma. Husted also works for the university as an honors undergraduate teaching assistant. She volunteered at Madison Elementary in Norman.

SAPULPA- Kenner Misner is a 2004 Academic All-State alumnus and a 2008 graduating senior majoring in psychology at Oklahoma State University. He volunteered at Will Rogers in Stillwater.

SHATTUCK- Amalia Deines is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in accounting /finance at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

STILLWATER – Ten Oklahoma State University students recently completed a semester or more of service as Academic All-State Alumni Mentors at Will Rogers Elementary School in Stillwater. The mentors are Shayla Burnett of Cache, Hannah Denker of Enid, Amy Myers of Fletcher, Jamie Pelfrey of Maysville, Laura Morton of Oklahoma City, Ry Fleming of Perry, Kenner Misner of Sapulpa, Amalia Deines of Shattuck, Paula Smithheisler of Tonkawa and Cassandra Mickelson of Yukon.

TONKAWA- Paula Smithheisler is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore majoring in agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.

TULSA – Three University of Tulsa students recently completed a semester or more of service as Academic All-State Alumni Mentors at Celia Clinton Elementary School in Tulsa. The mentors are Rebecca Bedford of Muldrow, Rachael Johnston of Oklahoma City and Tiffany Foster of Tuttle.

TUTTLE- Tiffany Foster is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a freshman majoring in management information systems and Spanish at the University of Tulsa. She volunteered at Celia Clinton Elementary in north Tulsa.

WEATHERFORD - Dana McBee of LaVerne is a 2006 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore majoring in mass communications at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at East Elementary in Weatherford.

YUKON- Cassandra Mickelson is a 2007 Academic All-State alumnus and a sophomore agribusiness major at Oklahoma State University. She volunteered at Will Rogers Elementary in Stillwater.