“It’s easy to think of Orono as a middle school, a high school, etc., but we want people to start thinking about it as a community,” senior Nic Petschen said.

Inspired by the innovative steps taken by activities director Bucky Mieras, seniors Shelby Earley and Nic Petschen have formed a dream of their own.

“The DECA students have to get emotionally connected to the project they decide to do,” marketing teacher Keith Jurek said.

Petschen and Earley have had no trouble finding a passion in their Public Relations DECA project because the two  have been involved with mentoring for many years.

With their past experiences and hard driven motivation, Earley and Petschen give nothing less than their full effort to unify the school district.

“I had a chance to see and experience the bond that forms between a mentor and a student in need, so I wanted to try and bring that to a larger number of students,” Petschen said.

The program the two students have founded “works hand-in-hand” with Jurek, the Kindergarten to grade two teachers, and social workers, as well as the high school participants, Earley said.

Once a week the mentors visit the elementary student or classroom they were paired up with.

“I think I’ve gained a lot of patience.  I haven’t done it for very long but I’m learning how to help out the kids,” junior mentor to Leslie Larson’s kindergarten classroom Lydia Farmer said.

Along with patience, mentors are finding themselves trying harder than ever to set a good example for the children that look up to them.

“I like to think that I’m making a difference in their lives,” Farmer said.

Among all of their success, the two seniors found trouble in trying to match up the schedules of the high school students and Schumann Elementary teachers.

“Scheduling was the opposite of a good time. We had to line up the very specific schedules of both the Schumann teachers as well as the mentors, which was not always easy,” Petschen said.

With 34 class mentors, 10 individual mentors, and almost 100 mentors signed-up to participate, the scheduling has been hectic.

Although all of their open slots for being mentors are filled for this year, Earley and Petschen encourage students to plan for next year in order to keep the program growing.

“[Students] should talk to the juniors who are in charge next year and tell them they are interested,” Earley said.

The two seniors hope to leave a legacy behind them after they graduate in the spring. “This is not just a one year deal, its something that continues on for years to come,” Jurek said.