Malden Elementary

2021-2022

School Coordinators

I love having Elevators in my school! There are so many kids who need someone to care. It’s awesome when you see at least a few getting that basic need met. I wish we had started this program years ago, and appreciate all of the adults who give up time from their work day in order to help a child. This has been an amazing experience.

Julie Sayre, Principal

Kanawha City Elementary

2021-2022

Teachers

Aaron’s Elevator, Victor, is amazing! Aaron bounces down the hallway whenever he is with Victor. Aaron doesn't smile for photos ever except for the one I took of him with Victor. It has almost brought me to tears seeing his excitement. Aaron comes from a very challenging home life and Victor has been such a consistent, stable relationship for him.

Amanda Bartoli

Ayden needs a strong male role model in his life who is successful. He needs someone who he can trust and confide in. He looks forward to his visits with his Elevator. I notice an improved attitude after he has a visit and even the day he knows he will be seeing him.

Andrea Owens

Collin has a challenging home life. He performs at a lower academic level than everyone in the class. Having an Elevator made him feel special and boosted his confidence.

Amanda Bartoli

Jacob has recently been removed from his mom and lives with his brother's dad. I don't think Jacob has many people he can talk to about his mom and his home life situation. Having an Elevator really allows him to have someone to talk to about all of that. He is able to have someone to confide in and help him with his emotions. Jacob is a fun loving kid, but keeps a lot inside. He really needs this trusted adult that is a constant in his life. Having an Elevator has helped him from not completely unraveling.

Andrea Owens

This student’s father passed away a few years ago and his Elevator is the only real male role he has in his life. He has mentioned that having an Elevator makes him miss his dad but he enjoys being able to have a dad type  igure in his life. He gets a lot of joy out of hanging out with his Elevator. His mom works a lot and he doesn't  have a lot of adult attention at home. Having this one on one time really helps him have positive attention  from an adult and has greatly improved his negative attention seeking behaviors in the classroom.

Andrea Owens

Central Elementary

2021-2022

Teachers

Mary C. Snow Elementary/Bob Burdette Center

2021-2022

Teachers

Amaad’s Elevator has impacted his overall attitude and his behavior has improved. Amaad has even utilized learned mentoring techniques in multiple ways including mentoring younger students in our afterschool program. -Brittany Dempsey

Since starting with his Elevator, Angelo makes sure he gets to school on time! Community members taking time to mentor and get to know a child makes the student feel important and helps their goals stay in reach.

Leigh Poindexter

Chris has made such a huge impact on Adam. I have seen Adam look up when he is walking, actually talk to me and answer questions. Adam has struggled with peers every year and he seems to be able to talk to people now. I have been with Mary C. Snow for 7.5 years and this year is the first year I have ever seen Adam smile. Chris is amazing!

Natalie Blevins

I hope Jacqueline realizes the impact she is making with Anna. I have seen her grow in confidence, she comes into the school talking and leaves the school talking. To have a better understanding last year, her 3rd grade year, I did the lunch duty in her classroom and I never saw her eat or look up from her desk. She now walks with her head high, smiles and laughs. Anna stated her favorite part is reading with Jacqueline...to be clear, if Anna continues to read and graduate high school she will be the first in her family.

Natalie Blevins

Even though Angelo and David only met a short time ago, Angelo has been to school on time more days since meeting David than in his ENTIRE school life. His tardies were so bad it resulted in a meeting with his parent. I have seen Angelo look up once while walking down the hallway. David is already making a difference!

Natalie Blevins

Harley loves Marcus! He will usually start asking me on Monday if Marcus is coming tomorrow. Harley’s Auntie says "Harley will get tore up if that man can't come." She also stated, "I (Auntie) can say, Harley, if you don't get yourself together, your mentor will not be able to come, and he will straighten right up". The family loves Marcus and they need him. I know Harley can still be someone who needs reminding, however, he values Marcus and does not want to miss any time with him. Thank you to Marcus for the impact you are making in Harley's life! -Natalie Blevins

When I asked Amaad what he likes about meeting with Bryan he said, "I LOVE IT," and then smiled. Amaad stated, “Mr. Cokeley had surgery last week or this week, but I know he will meet me next week.” Then he smiled and walked away. It means the world for Amaad to know that he has someone he can count on.

Natalie Blevins

Kelly is making a big difference in Christina's life! She will ask me in the morning if Kelly is coming today. Christina smiles when she is talking about Kelly. She drew a picture of Kelly with a heart on her shirt and her arms outstretched as if Kelly was giving a hug. Kelly brought Christina gifts on her birthday and made her feel so special! The look on Christina’s face when I told her that Kelly was coming to visit her on her birthday was priceless. I don’t know if I have ever seen her smile so big!”

Natalie Blevins

Piedmont Elementary

2021-2022

Teachers

Nicole has gone above and beyond when meeting with Ayonna. I think Ayonna truly feels like she has made a difference in her life and that she is a trusted adult that cares about her.

Caitlin Lastoria

Kelly comes every Thursday for Abby. You know that it's Thursday because of how excited Abby acts, and she doesn’t usually show excited emotions. Her engagement and overall attitude is improved because she knows she has a visit with Kelly.

Jessica McCormick

Matt has been a consistent presence in Saquan's life. He met with him weekly and even overcame the challenges of maintaining contact over the schoology conferences during the pandemic. Saquan is always excited to see Matt and enjoys playing games while talking about his week.

Caitlin Lastoria

Edgewood Elementary

2021-2022

Teachers

Rene’s visits gave Ziryah something to look forward to, and she seemed to thrive after each visit. Rene showed her positive attention that Ziryah enjoyed.

Amanda Moore

Malden Elementary

2021-2022

Teachers

Lenny is so dedicated to Jeffrey. He visits consistently, and he chooses activities that Jeffrey loves. Lenny has built a wonderful relationship with Jeffrey over the past several years. It is clear that Jeffrey looks up to him and appreciates the time they share. Jeffrey looks forward to their time together. Jeffrey greatly benefits from having a positive male role model in his life.

Stephanie Berry

Katie is more confident, happy, calm, and appears to feel like her opinion and self matters since meeting with her Elevator Deborah. Deborah encourages Katie and shows interest in her and what she does. Katie is excited when she comes to visit her and has better attendance, is less negative and seems to have hope.

Tonya Harper

Aleeah really benefited from spending time with her Elevator. She always came back more settled. It gave her time to express everything that was going on with her personally (relationships/school/home life), so when she came back to the classroom she was more focused on what we were doing. She needed an adult figure in her life that just focused on her, and Ms. Revercomb was that person for her. Aleeah looked forward to her scheduled time every week!

Lyndsey Coleman

Aaron looks forward to seeing Jeremy each week and shares with me the fun things they did. He struggles academically, and I think he appreciates having something that is different or special about him that doesn't have to do with school. He still has some struggles with reading, but I have seen great improvements with his attitude and ability to persevere through tough situations. He seems more confident all around. I think this is a WONDERFUL program and I am so grateful we have people who care about our kids here at Malden.

Kathleen Searles

Ellie wants to show me that she is trying her best and is much more responsible. Her handwriting has also improved! She talks about her Elevator a lot!

Sherri Call

Mr. Peterson helped a great deal with Izaic this year. There has been an increased motivation on Izaic's part, to do well on his assignments, especially spelling. I believe Izaic's reading ability has improved because of his Elevator. Izaic loved Mr. Peterson's stories about travel, particularly New Orleans. Izaic's general attitude toward school  improved and he looked forward to meeting with his Elevator each week. Time well-spent. Thank you!

Carolyn Ferrell