Volunteering in L/A's K-12 Public Schools
Welcome to Lewiston-Auburn!
Photo: Harward Center Flickr
Through partnerships with local public schools, the Harward Center at Bates offers countless unique opportunities for students to get involved in the surrounding community of Lewiston-Auburn. Taking part in these opportunities is not only known to enhance one's Bates experience, but provide valued support to local teachers and younger students.
Scroll down for a quick tour of local schools, or click one of the tabs above for more information about L/A community partners and volunteer opportunities!
***In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the programs listed on this page will be taking place virtually until further notice. For more information about remote opportunities, visit https://www.bates.edu/harward/volunteer-opportunities/ .***
Click the "+" button on the map to get a closer look at the location of each school in relation to Bates campus!
Montello Elementary School
Montello Elementary serves approximately 700 students in grades Pre-K through 6. Bates students partner with Montello through many different opportunities including Book Buddies, mentoring programs, and classroom placements.
Connors Elementary School
In 2019, approximately 800 students of recently closed Longley and Martel Elementary schools, along with about 100 students from other schools, came together to form Connors Elementary, which serves grades Pre-K through 6. Partnerships with Connors Elementary include classroom placements and the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program.
Geiger Elementary School
Built in 2009, Geiger Elementary serves approximately 700 students in grades Pre-K through 6. Many Bates students volunteer at Geiger through Classroom Placements in a range of grade levels.
Farwell Elementary School
Located just southeast of Bates campus, Farwell Elementary currently serves approximately 450 students in grades Pre-K through 6 (the smallest population of Lewiston's five elementary schools). Volunteer opportunities at Farwell include virtual tutoring (during COVID-19) and classroom placements.
McMahon Elementary School
McMahon Elementary lies about two miles east of Bates Campus and serves approximately 700 students in grades pre-K through 6. Though it is a bit further away from campus than the rest of the Lewiston schools, many Bates students engage in volunteer work at McMahon through Book Buddies and classroom placements.
Lewiston Middle School
Located right across the street from Bates campus on Central Avenue, Lewiston Middle School serves approximately 800 7th and 8th grade students. Volunteer opportunities at LMS include tutoring and Classroom Placements.
Lewiston High School
As the only public high school in the city of Lewiston, LHS currently serves more than 1,500 students in grades 9-12. Here, Bates students partner with high school students through both tutoring and mentoring programs.
Edward Little High School
Just over the river, about five minutes from campus, is Auburn's only public high school, serving 1,032 students.
Auburn Middle School
Located about 10 minutes from campus is Auburn Middle School! This school serves 542 students in grades 7 and 8.
Park Avenue Elementary School
Located about 10 minutes from campus sits Park Avenue Elementary School, one of six elementary schools in Auburn. Park Avenue serves 370 students in grades K-6.
Tutoring Opportunities
Book Buddies (Montello and McMahon Elementary):
- Get paired with 1-3 "buddies" (elementary school students) who you will read with twice a week during the school day
- Connect with younger students while helping them improve their reading comprehension
Photo: Harward Center Flickr
"I love how Bates volunteers get to experience their younger buddies improve their reading skills and celebrate their reading successes. It's such a rewarding position to be in, as a college student, to see your buddy move up a reading level or use once difficult words in everyday conversation. Reading is an essential skill that Bates volunteers help mold in their young buddies, and that will shape them for the rest of their lives." - Chloe Baylor '23, Book Buddies Community Outreach Fellow
Contact Chloe to get involved!
Farwell Tutoring:
- Sign up for any number of days/hours you are available and wish to tutor
- Provide 1-on-1 academic assistance (currently over Zoom) to elementary school students (grades K-6) on a drop-in basis in a variety of subjects
- Meet and connect with younger students!
- For more information or to get involved, email Ellen Alcorn at the Harward Center
Photo: Harward Center Flickr
Lewiston Middle School Tutoring (Literacy and Writing):
- Choose a time slot to tutor from the various slots available
- Provide 1-on-1 academic assistance (currently over Zoom) to middle school students (grades 7 and 8) in literacy and writing
- For more information, email Ellen Alcorn at the Harward Center
Lewiston High School Tutoring (LHS Aspirations):
- Sign up for any number of days/hours you are available and wish to tutor
- Provide 1-on-1 academic assistance (currently over Zoom) to high school students (grades 9-12) on a drop-in basis in a variety of subjects
- Help English Language Learning (ELL) students better understand their assignments!
"Due to an increased online presence, online tutoring has helped many students receive the assistance they would normally receive in person. By having college volunteers work with students, individuals have the opportunity to receive not only homework help but can also receive insight into college life too!" - Doug Dumont, LHS Aspirations Coordinator
Contact Doug Dumont to get involved!
Mentoring Opportunities
Montello Mentoring:
- Meet one on one with an elementary school student for 30 minutes each week
- Read books, talk, play games, draw, and play in the gym at Montello
- Build a trusting relationship with a younger student and serve as a positive role model!
- For more information or to get involved, email Lauren Nudi '23 or Amanda Hammond
Big Brothers Big Sisters (Connors Elementary):
Photo: http://www.bbbsmidmaine.org/
- Get paired with a Connors elementary school student (who will be your "Little") and meet with them once a week for an hour
- Eat lunch together, play games, help with homework, do arts and crafts, and/or play in the gym
- Explore the BBBS website here , or for an inside look at the program, check out this document to see what past Bigs and Littles have said about each other!
- For more information or to get involved, contact Jennifer Cartmell
Lewiston High School Mentoring (4-year program):
- Get paired with a ninth grade student your first year at Bates and meet with them biweekly for all four years of your Bates career
- Provide support for your mentee as they navigate high school and post-graduate planning
"Goals of the program include keeping students engaged in school, establishing college as an option for their future, and introducing them to positive role models who can both learn about their needs and advocate for them." -Emma Block '22, LHS Mentoring Coordinator
Contact Emma to get involved!
BatesConnect
Photo: Harward Center Flickr
BatesConnect is a new online platform that gives local K-12 teachers easy access to educational resources and learning tools created by Bates students. These resources are typically created as part of community-engaged coursework and have since taken the form of lesson plans, short videos, games, and more covering a wide variety of subject areas. While the BatesConnect online platform is still in its pilot phase as of the Fall 2020 semester, Harward Center staff are hoping to increase capacity for future student engagement on the platform.
- Learn more about BatesConnect
- Explore current BatesConnect learning tools created by Bates students
Check out this short video uploaded to BatesConnect created by Bates students Caroline Cassell, Charlie Nadel, Grace Schierwagen, and Johnny Walker explaining the Story of Orpheus and Eurydice to elementary school students!
CEL #2 - The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice.mp4
Classroom Placements
- Take an education class at Bates and get placed in a Lewiston-Auburn public school classroom to fulfill the 30-hour field placement component of your coursework
- Learn what its like to work in a classroom while building meaningful relationships with students and your host teacher!
- Placements are available at every grade level (K-12) and subject. Want to work in English Language Learning (ELL) classroom at Lewiston High School? What about a kindergarten classroom at one of Lewiston's elementary schools, or a science classroom at Lewiston Middle School? All three of these options (and many more) are available as opportunities for field experience!
- Contact Ellen Alcorn to learn more about classroom placement opportunities
- Contact Patty MacKinnon for more specific information about ELL classroom placements
General Information about Lewiston Public Schools
- Lewiston Public Schools are comprised of dedicated and passionate teachers and a diverse student population
- Lewiston Public Schools are some of the most diverse schools in Maine, with 53.3% of the school population being white, 37.6% being African American, 4.6% being multiracial, and 3.1% being Hispanic or Latino
- Lewiston is also home to a large population of immigrants and refugees, the majority of whom are from Somalia, Congo, Djibouti, Sudan, and Chad, resulting in public schools that are rich with culture and many different languages– 26.3% of students are English learners
- Over the years, Lewiston Public Schools have struggled with meeting state standards in proficiency, attendance (with 22.1% of students considered chronically absent due to family responsibilities or otherwise), and graduation rates (73.1% of students graduate in four years)
- A large number of students, 67.7%, are considered economically disadvantaged (https://www.maine.gov/doe/dashboard)
