Junior Mentor Program — volunteer plan¶
Program name: Apex STEM / Ridge Racers Junior Mentor Program
Principle: Student mentors do STEM coaching; adults handle supervision and safety. Do not make high-schoolers the “responsible adults,” even if they are mature.
Typical Year 1 session: one adult (18+) + 0–2 HS Junior STEM Mentors in an open, visible space — not two adults every week. See Supervision model (realistic).
Policy (draft): volunteer_policy.md · Student onboarding: volunteer onboarding · Adult onboarding: adult supervisor onboarding
Printables: Junior mentor application template · Adult volunteer application template
Two role levels¶
| Role | Who | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Student Volunteer: Junior STEM Mentor | WHRHS juniors/seniors (and similar) | CAD, research, design, testing, documentation, presentations — under adult supervision |
| Adult Volunteer: Session Supervisor | Known parents and vetted adults | Attendance, behavior, safety, sign-in/out, room setup, tools, parent communication — STEM expertise not required |
Junior STEM Mentor — responsibilities¶
- Help younger students with CAD, research, design, testing, presentation, documentation, and task tracking.
- Attend scheduled sessions.
- Work under adult supervision.
- No private one-on-one mentoring.
- No rides, private texting, or unsupervised meetings with younger students.
- May earn documented service hours (team_lead attestation until board template exists).
Good candidates:
- WHRHS Robotics Team 41 students (team site)
- PLTW engineering students
- Computer Science Club, Math League, Science Competition students
- National Honor Society students needing documented service hours
Session Supervisor — responsibilities¶
- Be present during meetings.
- Help with attendance, behavior, safety, sign-in/sign-out, room setup, tools, and parent communication.
- Does not need to be a STEM expert.
- Ensures students are never isolated one-on-one.
Best adult volunteers (priority order):
- Current Ridge Racers / Apex STEM parents
- Parents of student mentors
- Trusted family friends
- School / PTO-connected parents
- Later: vetted community adults (formal screening)
Volunteer pipelines (ranked)¶
| Priority | Option | Who to target | Why it fits | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Known team parents | Ridge Racers / Apex STEM families | Known to you; already invested | Lowest |
| 2 | WHRHS Robotics / STEM | Team 41, PLTW, Science Competition, Math League, CS Club | Best technical fit for student mentors | Low–medium |
| 3 | WHRHS NHS | Juniors/seniors needing service hours | Legitimate documented service work | Low |
| 4 | WHRHS PTO / parent network | Engineers, teachers, professionals | Existing volunteer structure | Low–medium |
| 5 | Interact / service clubs | Service-minded students (not hardcore STEM) | Student opportunities channel | Low |
| 6 | Corporate / professional guests | Engineers, CAD, manufacturing, alumni | Guest workshops only — not routine supervision | Medium |
| 7 | Open community | Facebook groups, VolunteerMatch, etc. | Avoid at first until formal screening | Highest |
Safety rules (implement from day one)¶
Supervision model (realistic)¶
Hard rule: A high-school Junior STEM Mentor never counts as an adult for supervision — even if they are mature. An adult (18+) must be the responsible person every session.
Minimum staffing (pilot — typical):
| Role | Who | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Session Supervisor (adult, 18+) | Mentor, team parent, or designated lead | 1 required |
| Junior STEM Mentor (HS student) | WHRHS volunteer | 0–2 typical — helper only |
| Younger students | Team members / mentees | Keep small when solo adult |
When one adult + one HS volunteer is the whole team (common early on):
- Work in an open, visible space — no closed-door one-on-one.
- Cap headcount — e.g. ≤6 younger students when only one adult is present (board may adjust).
- No shop / power tools / chemicals unless a second adult is present or shop is closed.
- Name a backup adult on call (textable parent or mentor) before each session.
- HS volunteer stays in group mentoring — not solo errands with younger students.
Preferred when you can staff it (not required every week):
- Two adults for larger groups, tool work, competitions, or 6+ youth in the room.
- Rotate team parents for 1–2 sessions per season when available — see recruitment.
Never:
- Run a session with only HS volunteers and younger students (no adult).
-
Treat the HS volunteer as co-supervisor or “second adult.”
-
Adult present: at least one designated adult Session Supervisor every session (see table above).
- No one-on-one closed-door interaction: student mentors work in open group settings only.
- No private communications: messages through parent-visible group email, Freedcamp, or other adult-overseen channels — not private DMs with younger students.
- No transportation by volunteers: parents handle drop-off/pickup.
- Sign-in/sign-out sheet: student name, parent contact, arrival, departure (private Sheet or paper → Drive
Students/— not git). - Parent permission form for high-school volunteers (they are also minors) — waiver procedure.
- Code of conduct for students, parents, mentors, and adult volunteers (board adoption pending).
- Tool/safety limits: student mentors help with CAD and organization; adults control sharp tools, adhesives, power tools, chemicals, and equipment.
Adult vetting — closed-network model¶
Phase 1 — Parents only (launch)¶
Current team parents and parents of known student mentors:
- Parent name/contact
- Child’s name
- Relationship to program
- Availability
- Areas they can help
- Agreement to supervision / code-of-conduct policy
Phase 2 — Known referrals only¶
Adults referred by existing parents, school contacts, borough contacts, or known local organizations.
Phase 3 — Formal screening¶
When nonprofit infrastructure is ready:
- NJ Volunteer Review Operations (VRO) for criminal history background checks — N.J.S.A. 15A:3A-1
- CARI (child abuse/neglect record information) through NJ DCF where appropriate for recurring access to minors
Do not rely on “they seem nice” for any adult with recurring access to children.
Borough / mayor visibility: OK to promote the program to local families; do not accept random adult supervisors from a public post without screening.
Recruitment channels¶
1. WHRHS Guidance — Student Opportunities¶
Post on WHRHS Student Opportunities. Suggested blurb:
Volunteer Opportunity: Junior STEM Mentors Needed
Apex STEM / Ridge Racers is looking for Watchung Hills students interested in STEM, engineering, CAD, robotics, design, racing, project management, or mentoring younger students. Volunteers help middle-school students prepare for STEM racing competitions under adult supervision. Service hours can be documented. Ideal for Robotics, PLTW Engineering, Computer Science, Math League, Science Competition, NHS, or related clubs.
2. Club advisors (student mentors)¶
Contact advisors for: Robotics Team 41 · PLTW / Engineering · Computer Science Club · Math League · Science Competition · NHS · Interact · Red Cross Club.
3. WHRHS PTO (adult supervisors)¶
Use WHRHS PTO volunteer channel for parent session supervisors.
4. Existing team parents (default adult pool)¶
Ask each participating family to either:
- Volunteer for 1–2 sessions per season, or
- Help recruit one trusted adult volunteer.
5. Corporate guests (workshops only)¶
Engineers and professionals for occasional workshops — not routine youth supervision unless vetted under Phase 3.
Pilot launch structure¶
Realistic Year 1 target: 1–2 HS Junior STEM Mentors + 1 lead adult (you) + backup parents when available
Typical small session:
| Element | Count |
|---|---|
| Adult Session Supervisor | 1 (required) |
| Junior STEM Mentors (HS) | 1–2 |
| Younger students | ≤6 when solo adult |
| Backup adult on call | 1 (recommended — textable) |
When a second adult is available: use them for larger groups, shop/tool sessions, or events — not required for every weekly CAD/meeting check-in.
Student mentors help with CAD, tasks, testing, documentation, and presentations. The adult handles behavior, safety, attendance, and parent communication.
Application questions¶
Use Junior mentor application template and Adult volunteer application template. Do not commit filled forms with PII to git.
Student mentors¶
- Name, grade, school
- Parent/guardian name and email
- STEM interests (CAD, robotics, engineering, coding, design, racing, project management, presentation, fabrication)
- Clubs/classes (Robotics, PLTW, CS, Math League, Science Competition, NHS, etc.)
- Availability
- Why do you want to mentor younger students?
- Do you need service-hour documentation?
- Teacher/coach/advisor reference (optional but preferred)
- Agreement to code of conduct
Adult volunteers¶
- Name/contact
- Relationship to program
- Child’s name, if applicable
- Availability
- Comfort level: supervision only, CAD help, tools, event logistics, fundraising, transportation coordination, snacks, admin
- Prior youth volunteer experience
- Agreement to safety/code-of-conduct policy
- Background check willingness if role becomes recurring
Board adoption checklist¶
- [ ] Approve program name and two-role model
- [ ] Approve supervision model (1 adult minimum; 2 adults when practical) and sign-in/sign-out procedure
- [ ] Approve code of conduct (all participants)
- [ ] Approve closed-network vetting phases + Phase 3 screening trigger
- [ ] Confirm GL insurance covers program volunteers (business plan §8)
- [ ] Approve service-hour attestation template
- [ ] Minutes reference this program + volunteer_policy.md