Mentor Program

Be a Mentor... Change a Life!

Mentors support the emotional and social development of students through the power of relationships!

Hays CISD is recruiting individuals in the community interested in changing the life of a child. Research shows that meaningful relationships are a powerful part of young people’s lives, given that mentoring encourages students to develop self-awareness and to foster their passions.

Hays CISD... Where Mentors Make a Difference in Student Success, One Student at a Time!

Contact Info

Kaylynn Schrandt
Mental Health Professional/
Mentor Lead
E-mail Mentor Hays
E-mail Kaylynn Schrandt  
(512) 268-2141  Ext. 46086

Becoming a Mentor

Who is qualified to be a mentor?  People just like you!

  • A mentor is someone who cares, listens and offers encouragement.

  • Mentors help children develop their strengths and talents by supporting the efforts of other significant people, such as parents and teachers.

  • Mentors are people willing to give a little of their time to make a difference in a child’s life.

Why mentoring?

Research repeatedly shows that having a mentor helps a child to be more successful in school. Children are not the only ones whose lives can be changed by mentoring. For many mentors, the rewards of reaching out to another and building a close, trusting relationship are great, including an increase in personal enrichment, happiness and self-knowledge. In fact, mentoring benefits all of society: healthy, educated and nurtured children tend to grow up to be productive adults and responsible parents. They may even grow up to be mentors themselves.

What do mentors do?

Mentors provide constant encouragement and emotional support for their students. Mentors help students to:

  • Accept responsibility

  • Use good study habits

  • Make positive choices

  • Learn problem solving skills

  • Have better peer relationships

Good mentoring relationships require a secure mentor training process. Prior to being assigned to a campus and matched with a mentee, all mentors must register with our VIPs volunteer system, receive a Hays CISD volunteer ID badge and complete all levels of the onboarding process.

Requirements - How to become a mentor:
There are only four (4) requirements to become a mentor:

  1. Consent to a Hays CISD Criminal Background Check by registering through our VIPs volunteer portal. (Level 1)

    • If you have previously volunteered within Hays CISD, click Established Volunteers. If you are registered as an established volunteer, please go into your account and designate an interest in “Mentoring” to update your account.

    • If you are NEW to Hays CISD or have not completed the VIPs process, click this link: New Volunteers

  2. Once you are approved, the VIPs system will notify you to complete an online self-paced training module.(Level 2)

  3. Once your Level 2 responses are recorded, you will be sent an invitation to register for an hour-long in-person Onboarding/Training session. (Level 3)

  4. Upon completion of the in-person training, approved mentors will be connected with the campus School Counselor/Campus Mentor Liaison for matching with a mentee and review check-in procedures. (Level 4)

Length and Time of Commitment

We ask for a 1-year commitment to meet with a student once a week for 30 minutes, during the school day (during the student’s lunch period will be the preferred time).

Mentoring Partners

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