‘There is a huge need’
Goal of outdoor fair set for Saturday is to recruit residents who will help administrators, classrooms amid return to in-person learning
From lunch aides to math tutors, volunteers in Santa Fe Public Schools are in high demand this year as students settle back into full-time, in-person learning. The district is hosting an outdoor volunteer fair Saturday morning at Milagro Middle School on Llano Street to link willing Santa Fe residents with volunteer options.
“We have a lot of opportunities,” district volunteer and event coordinator Sabra Romero said in an interview Wednesday.
The district ended last year with 500 volunteers in schools. Right now, it has about 300, and hundreds more are in the process of signing up.
But Romero said there is still a need for many more administrative, classroom and after-school helpers, particularly as the district launches new initiatives with federal pandemic relief funds to give students an extra boost. She emphasized the district is especially hoping to draw more bilingual volunteers.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit Communities In Schools of New Mexico is seeking more middle school tutors.
Many education volunteers are eager to help younger or older kids, but finding people willing to work with preteens is more challenging, said Kate Mitchell, the organization’s volunteer coordinator.
Communities In Schools, one of about 20 organizations hoping to recruit volunteers at Saturday’s fair, provides tutoring services at 11 schools in the district.
“There is a huge need,” Mitchell said. “And COVID exacerbated that need.”
While most of the volunteer slots the district aims to fill Saturday center on schools, Romero said a handful of organizations will be asking for help in other areas. For instance, the Santa Fe Watershed Association will be recruiting people to assist with advocacy work and trash pickups.
There also will be a few paid positions advertised at the fair, such as tutors for the AVID college readiness program, Romero said. Those jobs are part time and available on a contract basis.
Saturday’s event will be the fourth volunteer fair the district has hosted.
Last year’s event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Romero said distance learning and safety precautions did little to hinder the district’s volunteer force.
Sarah Rogala, developmental director at Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region, said her organization wasn’t so lucky.
“We’ve had a huge decrease in people signing up to be ‘Bigs,’ ” she said, speaking of adult
mentors who are paired with children ages 6 to 18 through the program.
The decline “has been really tough,” she added, “because we have lots of kids who need it.”
Mentors are matched with kids based on their interests and usually meet about four hours every month. Rogala, who participates in the program, spends some of that time making sure her “Little” maintains good attendance at school.
The program has about 100 kids statewide on the waiting list for a mentor, including around 40 in Santa Fe.
Big Brothers Big Sisters also works with Santa Fe Public Schools for campus-based mentoring, and it offers opportunities for high schoolers to mentor elementary students as part of a push to provide more support for kids transitioning between elementary, middle and high school.
“The Big is able to mentor someone younger than them, but they’re also getting a lot of leadership skills and a lot soft skills that are really important for them,” Rogala said.
While Big Brothers Big Sisters doesn’t have a vaccine mandate, mentors working within schools must be vaccinated or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test on a weekly basis.
Romero said all volunteers who work in schools will need to follow those rules, set by the state Public Education Department for staff.
Those hesitant to enter campuses during the pandemic can serve as virtual volunteers, she said. Those opportunities include working with the district’s homework helpline and writing to students through a pen pal program.
Communities In Schools is among the organizations seeking online tutors.
“That one-on-one connection is hugely important,” Mitchell said. “You can get that more in person than online — but again, these kids just need some academic support. Whether our volunteers are interested doing it virtually or in person, we’ll take them.”
She added: “This is one of those times where ‘it takes a village’ really has some meaning to me. We’re all raising these kids’ academic performance and just letting them know they’re supported.”