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For Immediate Release
October 14, 2005
Linwood Lions Get Mercy Mentors and More
Oklahoma City —Just like the beloved children’s
book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” a similar chain of events occurs
when you give a school a partner. Besides more than 50 Mercy co-workers
who are dedicating an hour each week to tutor a Linwood Elementary
student, Mercy has also provided furnishings, school supplies and a
$4,900 grant that gives every staff member some pocket money for
additional
educational tools.
“This means everything to us,” said Kathy Draper,
Linwood’s principal. “Mercy has embraced us and it makes all the
difference. Every week, Mercy mentors make a 15-minute bus ride to
Northwest 17th Street so they can devote an hour to working one on one
with our children. I’m sure they have piles of work they could tend to,
but they choose to give us their time. And besides helping with reading
and math, they serve as positive role models for our children.”
Susan Parker, director of Partners in Education for
Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, knows all too well the impact
of mentors.
 “Research
shows that one-on-one tutoring works,” said Parker. “It makes a huge
impact. Within the Oklahoma City school district, we have between 2,500
and 2,700 mentors, but there are another 8,000 kids in our schools who
need mentors. Mentoring not only helps in education, it gives our
children a better self-esteem when they have another caring adult
sitting with them each week.”
As a part of the tutoring team, two Mercy
co-workers, who are certified in speech therapy, will assist the
school’s part-time therapist. Mercy has also provided everything from
lamps to tables and glider rockers to lobby chairs. In addition, the
Sisters of Mercy have provided $4,900 to be divvied up between Linwood’s
49 staff members, including teachers, janitors and cafeteria workers.
“Usually our staff uses their own pocket money when
they want to provide tools or experiences outside the basic school
supply budget,” said Draper. “With $100 for every staff member, we can
provide many cultural and educational opportunities for our students.
Our fourth graders will get to go to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art for
the first time. First graders will get to create something out of clay,
and everyone will get to enjoy new paperback books and bean bag chairs
in the reading center.”
Besides a digital scale for the school nurse and
digital camera to teach geometry and art concepts, the students are
thrilled to have tutors.
“I’ve learned how to read a little bit more,” said
9-year-old Maria Monterroso. “I’ve also learned how to do my math
because my mentor showed me how to do it. She also helped me with words
I didn’t know.”
Gabriella Guerra, 8, also chimed in, “When my
teacher tells me it’s time for my tutor, I’m always excited because I
love to read and it’s so fun.”
With 330 students from preschool to fifth grade, 52
percent of the students are Hispanic and 91 percent receive free
lunches. And while Linwood has some of the highest scores in the
district, it has priority status for tutors.
“The Mercy mentors project is very similar to the
kind of work our Foundress Catherine McAuley did in the earliest days of
the Sisters of Mercy,” said Mike Packnett, president and CEO of Mercy
Health System of Oklahoma. “Not only is this very much in line with our
heritage, it’s also a great opportunity for our co-workers to meet the
needs of our community. We love being partners with Linwood.”
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