To its director Mary Miller, the Boothbay Region High School Mentorship Program is probably less mentorship and more work-study. The program has students maintain a job at a local business, dressing the part and logging a weekly detailed report on what they learned and any goals established or achieved. The businesses track students’ progress.

Miller said this has been around for decades, and she does not know why so few seem to know about it.

“People are saying, ‘Gee, it's too bad. Maybe we should have like a mentorship program' and I'm saying: 'We do!'”

The number of students involved varies. This year, it's around 15. Some of the jobs students are studying this year include retail at Amelia in Boothbay, education at Boothbay Region Elementary School, veterinary studies at Boothbay Animal Hospital, and studies at the Maine State Aquarium.

“In the past, Bigelow Lab has been a big one and one girl is doing a mentorship with the Boothbay Sea and Science Center. It runs a gamut that they're interested in.”

Asked if the program works with students’ interests in attending Bath Regional Career and Technical Center, Miller said it does not.

“But I suppose it could. (Mentorship) usually has to do with what students want to do in college. I have some students who are working in hospitals this semester – Miles and the new health center – but that is a possibility.”

For students to get an in with a business, the school usually helps the students reach out, but in the past there have been those coming to BRHS seeking out a work study student, said Miller. Next semester, there will be students looking to work at one of the shipyards and for one of the local construction crews.

Miller said the school is also changing the program a bit this year to accommodate students working as teaching assistants in the classrooms. This works five more students into the program, according to Miller.

“Whatever they do in that classroom doesn't matter to me, but they still have to log it and tell me what they're doing … It keeps them accountable.”

With upcoming student presentations to parents and employers in March, Miller said she wants people to know this decades old program exists and continues to run strong.

Said Miller, “There's not really a lot to say about the mentorship program except that it's going on, it’s working great and the kids are learning a lot.”