Middle School Possibility Mentoring College Student Mentors for 7th Graders, Salem Public Schools, Salem, MA [SY 2025-2026]

Middle School Possibility Mentoring - College Student Mentors for 7th GradersSalem Public Schools Salem MA SY 2025-2026

Collins Middle School in partnership with Salem State University

About Salem Public Schools where belonging leads to opportunity.

Salem is a small diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district enrolling nearly 4000 students in 11 schools. Our vision is to ensure that all students will be locally engaged globally connected and fully prepared to thrive in a diverse and changing world. We hold dear our core values of belonging equity and opportunity in everything we do. We seek individuals who are passionate about urban education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement for all students regardless of ability economic status gender/gender identity language race/ethnicity sexual orientation or other backgrounds. We invite you to learn more about our strategic plan and core priorities on our website at

Reimagining Middle School:

To bring this vision to life the middle schools in Salem have committed to reimagining the student experience including designing piloting and scaling innovative work in partnership with our students families and educators. The goal is to create relevant learning experiences that connect middle schoolers to the community empower them to be independent learners and offer appropriate challenges and supports. A core component of this work has been creating near-peer mentorship opportunities for current middle schoolers to connect with college students to build understanding of themselves and possibilities for their futures.

Role Description:

You are a current Salem State College Student who will provide mentorship to multiple small groups of 7th graders as part of SPSs work to reimagine middle school by creating connection relevance and growth for all students. You will facilitate small group sessions focused on future-oriented thinking & action planning. The session materials are provided by the partnership between Salem Public Schools and Salem State University and you are eager to prepare for the session to ensure it runs successfully and both you and your students grow and learn together.

We are ideally seeking education majors who are also interested in exploring working with students in future roles but have found success with other majors who are eager to build connection and community. This Possibility Mentoring work grows out of learning and partnership with Dr. Michael Nakkula at Penn State University who explains Possibility mentoring is a specialized form of youth mentoring that combines a focus on relationship-building between the mentors and mentees with an exploration and pursuit of students interests and related goals. (

Core Responsibilities:

This role is ideal for individuals who enjoy helping others see their own potential building relationships and fostering a positive community environment.

In this role you will:

• Provide mentorship to small groups of middle school students using share materials including comfortably interacting with a diverse group of 7th graders.
• Attend the training and debrief sessions.
• Prepare for and debrief sessions as a cohort with support from SSU & SPS staff.
• Willingly share your lived experience and college journey to model what is possible for students.

Position Details:

• COLLINS MIDDLE SCHOOL & SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
• Hours: 2 hours/week plus preparation supported by SSU
• Compensation: $25/hour
• Reports to: Chelsea Banks - Executive Director of Innovation & Learning
• Dates:
• Required Training: Weds. 1/21 5-6pm
• All Sessions - Mondays 11am-1pm:
• At Collins Middle School: (SPS will provide a bus!)
• Rotation 1: Jan. 26 & Feb. 9
• Rotation 2: Mar. 30 & April 6
• Tour @ SSU:
• Rotation 1: March 2
• Rotation 2: April 13
• This is a non-union grant-funded position.

Qualifications:

• Strong work ethic and willingness to learn.
• Reliable punctual and able to follow schedule and program requirements.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work well with others.
• Maintain a 2.8 GPA Minimum at SSU and be in good standing with the university
• Current authorization to work in the United States

Categories:

• Up to 15 total positions
• Part-time
• Tutor
• Stipend
• Location: Collins Middle School

This position is funded by the WPS grant.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race color religion national origin pregnancy gender identity sexual orientation marital/civil union status ancestry place of birth housing status age citizenship status veteran status political affiliation genetic information or disability as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.