In addition to transforming the lives of students, Root 2 Rise is really “a partnership with the community,” said Cynthia Bell Jimenez, principal of Meadow View Elementary School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

It’s the third year the school has partnered with Root 2 Rise. 

“Teachers are in love with Root 2 Rise. Everyone wants a Tutor-Mentor in their classroom,” she said. There were 20 Tutor-Mentors at Meadow View last year, one for most classrooms, and two for multilingual and special education.

“It’s transformational when high schoolers are treated as adults. They are now really part of our staff, and act like adults – always on time, always happy, always engaged. We are truly happy with them,” she said.

Participation in Root 2 Rise coincided with the school’s emphasis on effective leadership, Jimenez said. She views Tutor-Mentors as “another layer of leaders” and “an integral part of who we are.”

Root 2 Rise offers high schoolers a chance to provide the leadership they might not have experienced when they were younger. It’s a “powerful experience for both them and younger students,” she said.

The initial uncertainty of high school students, some of whom are disengaged from school, disappears quickly after helping in classrooms for a couple of weeks.

Jimenez came to the U.S. as an exchange student from Costa Rica, and earned M.S. degrees in clinical psychology, education, and leadership, and has been principal at Meadow View for eight years, after teaching for several years.

The school has the most diverse student body in the district, and welcomes the diversity of the high school students involved with Root 2 Rise.

Tutor-Mentors can walk to Meadow View from their nearby high school, which eliminates the need for transportation. Arranging transportation has delayed the adoption of Root 2 Rise by other high schools in the district. 

Jimenez envisions a future in which Root 2 Rise is part of the curriculum, fostering an interest in teaching that would lead to employment as a paraprofessional with the district and support for additional education, a system that is an investment in local schools and the community.