Kathy Walsh is a very special mentor according to BOTH of
her mentees. Jazminique, a fourth grader at Spring Shadows Elementary, and
Fatima, an eighth grader at Westchester Academy of International Studies (WAIS),
used many of the same words to describe their mentor, ‘Ms. Kathy’: Nice,
caring, funny, creative, amazing, loving, pretty, and the list goes on.
Both girls also mentioned they know Ms. Kathy believes in them, and this provides confidence to do their best in school and other situations. It is clear Ms. Kathy has earned the respect of both of these young ladies.
Kathy Walsh is currently also the partner coordinator for a
large group of mentors from Pentair Valves and Controls at Spring Shadows
Elementary, tirelessly recruiting new mentors, and making sure the mentors from
her company are showing up and making a positive difference for their mentees. She
also helps to organize holiday parties for the students and the mentors to help
deepen the relationships.
Jazze and Ms. Walsh enjoy playing games, looking at fashion
design books in the library, and just talking—and more talking! Interests in
art and fashion inspire Jazze to think about a career in fashion design at this
point in her life. An idea for the name of her fashion line that she came up
with is Jazze’s Fashion Adventures. Ms. Walsh plans to follow her mentee
through middle and high school to encourage and help her stay on the right
course to reach this aspiration. She says Jazze is a “smart, creative, bright
student, with good sensibilities,” whose parents are shaping her to be a very
well-rounded and successful citizen. Jazze
reports she knows being a good student will help her get a good job, make good
money, and not become a “weird hobo living on the side of the road!”
Both girls also mentioned they know Ms. Kathy believes in them, and this provides confidence to do their best in school and other situations. It is clear Ms. Kathy has earned the respect of both of these young ladies.
Fatima and Kathy Walsh |
Principal
Jerona Williams said, “The relationship and mentoring service that Ms. Walsh
and her company provide for our students is ‘priceless.’ I wish we could have a
mentor for every one of our 781 students.”
Jazminique—or Jazze as everyone calls her-- and Ms. Walsh
are in the third year of their mentoring relationship at Spring Shadows
Elementary. They first got to know each other well when Ms. Walsh gave Jazze a
disposable camera to capture pictures of friends and family for a scrapbook
they later made together. Photos from Ms. Walsh’s life were put into another
book for Jazze to have to get to know her mentor better. Jazze recommends other
students should have a mentor because “kids need to have other friends besides
young people.”
Kathy with mentee Jazze |
Ms. Walsh became Fatima’s mentor when she was at Spring
Shadows Elementary as a fifth grader.
They lost track of each other when Fatima moved to WAIS in 6th
grade, but through some excellent detective work by Counselor Steven Schlabach
and Mentor Specialist Monica Creixell, they were able to reconnect last school
year. Fatima said it was “weird” not having a mentor during sixth grade, and
she was so excited and happy to find Ms. Kathy again as she is a good sounding
board to help talk through situations. “I tell her about school, my family, my
grades, my problems… I get it all out. It is nice to have someone to hear you,”
Fatima said. “Ms. Kathy gives me advice. She knows I have the capability to do
well in high school.” Ms. Kathy recommended Fatima focus on what is going on in
the classroom, and save her friendly socializing for the hallway and
afterschool, to which Fatima’s broad smile agreed!
Ms. Walsh says she often counsels Fatima, who is very
“goal-oriented,” that she can do whatever she wants to do with her future as
long as she puts her mind to it and studies hard. Becoming a doctor is a goal Fatima has had
since she was little, but she also enjoys creative writing, so will also
explore careers that could utilize that skill.
“Both of my mentees are very diverse, and both make such a
positive impact on my life,” said Ms. Walsh. “It is like a vacation for me when
I get to come see them at their schools.”
She is very thankful to the leadership at Pentair Valves and Controls allowing
her the time each week to mentor Fatima and Jazze, and thus make a positive
impact on the future stories of both students.
Thank you, Pentair Valves and Controls, and thank you,
Kathy.