A Letter from the Counselor at Wylie ISD

The Mentors Care program has increased its impact at Wylie High School since we first adopted it in 2021. Not only do the students create great relationships with their mentors, but Mark Blakely has become a sounding board and shoulder angel to so many of our students. He has created a warm, welcoming, safe space for students to come in and  have lunch or a snack while visiting with Mark and their peers. Other students walk by, become curious about what’s going on inside this unconventional room. They ask questions, become interested, and some end up on the list for a mentor. 

Since the inception of the Mentors Care program, the number of students coming to the counseling office for anxiety, depression, friend drama, or boyfriend/girlfriend trouble has decreased significantly. Students are confiding in their mentors, their peers during lunch in Mark’s room, or to Mark. They are creating supportive relationships which will help with their mental health needs as well as their academic needs. 

Mentors bring students into the counseling office asking for transcripts to help with college or job applications. Mentors also come in with the students asking about grades, how they can improve them, and what they can do to support the student in getting grades up. 

At this point, I cannot imagine our school without the Mentors Care program. It has become a part of us. People see adults sitting with students working on homework or talking in the cafeteria or the library, and everyone just knows they’re the mentors and their students. Students come into my office asking about Mentors Care, and I receive phone calls and emails from parents asking how their child can become part of the program. Families know about the program and hear about its benefits. The good word about Mentors Care at Wylie High School has spread, and I don’t see that slowing down any time soon. 

Valerie Johnston

Wylie High School Counselor