BSU and WM Mentoring Program

11/8/2022 12:40 pm

Black Student Union and West Mercer Mentoring Program 

Statement from Mentoring Program Lead Jamison Drayton 

Pictured are BSU mentors Jamison Drayton (grade 12), Teddy Sanchez-Alemu (grade 11), and Saron Michael (grade 10)

 

Hi, I’m Jamison Drayton, senior at Mercer Island High School, and member of the Black Student Union (BSU).  BSU wants to reach out and connect with younger students of color in the district with a mentoring program at West Mercer Elementary.   

 

Here is a video of some of our mentors telling you about themselves and why they want to be mentors.

 

We are launching this mentoring program and feel it is important because:

  • Many members of the BSU, including myself, attended MISD elementary schools and understand the difficulty of being one of the few people of color in the entire school. We don't want any students of color to feel isolated or alone because of their skin color.
  • We want to provide a safe space for the small minority of students attending West Mercer this year.
  • Only 1.6% of students at West Mercer Elementary identify as Black/African American and 16.9% as Multiracial (last school year).

Plans for Activities:

We will first have an introductory meeting where students identifying as Black or Multiracial who are interested in this mentoring program will meet the mentors and hear about ideas for the future.

 

Our first big goal is to meet monthly to work on a project with the elementary students that bring awareness about people of color on the Island. This will include creating a display for the West Mercer Culture Fair and working on a presentation for Black History Month. 

 

We may also gather informally for ice cream, recreational activities, or arts and crafts. We feel through these events we could create genuine connections with the students that persist throughout the school year.

 

How to Join:

If your student is interested in joining this mentoring program or have questions, contact PTA DEI Director Soyun Chow at soyun.chow@westmercerpta.org by November 14.  

 

Currently, our BSU mentors are Jamison Drayton (grade 12), Rutha Mersha (grade 12), Teddy Sanchez-Alemu (grade 11), and Saron Michael (grade 10). 

 

An introductory meeting with students and families will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 3:15-4pm at West Mercer.  A Zoom option will be available if you cannot attend in person.


More information about the Black Student Union:

The Black Student Union is a team of passionate Black/African American individuals and allies who discuss and work to combat the issues that minorities on Mercer Island experience on a day-to-day basis.

 

We not only discuss issues of race within our meetings, but we also push these discussions into classrooms and the greater Mercer Island Community. Our primary goals are to spread awareness about the challenges Black people face on Mercer Island and to be a place where all students of color feel safe and able to share their unique experiences.

 

Last year, we focused on elevating MIHS's Black History Month through numerous assemblies, community Zooms, and a 21-day Race Equity Challenge. We had so much success at the high school that we want to spread this into all of the Mercer Island School District, specifically at the middle school and West Mercer Elementary.  Through this mentoring program, BSU will help young students feel heard, accepted, and understood by someone who has had similar experiences as them growing up.

 

Learn more about BSU events here:

 

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