The Options Mentor Program is a non-ASB-run,  year-long elective that serves as one of the best ways for students to interact with other students who have disabilities.

Launching off as an idea, the Options Program started to develop when Dr. Megan Burton, the moderator of the program, arrived at Cathedral during the 2013-2014 school year. Dr. Burton thought of the idea and brought it to life by “recruiting” students on the mentors team. Since then, Dr. Burton and the Options mentors have been searching for more students to make mentors out of, and the program is expected to see more students participating by next year.

Becoming a mentor takes an enormous amount of time, effort, and responsibility. Mentors are expected to invest their full attention into helping students with disabilities. Commitment is the most significant quality students need to offer in order to pass the Options Program. Since the program is a pass or fail elective, mentors always need to pay attention to their surroundings and keep control of everything that happens during class-time.

Senior mentor Elizabeth Miller further explained the qualities needed to pass the Options Program. “You need to be focused on the students all the time. For instance, you can’t be distracted with other subjects or do homework for other classes. These students need your undivided attention, and they need to be treated like any other typical high schooler without disabilities in order for this program to work at its best,” said Elizabeth.

Possibly the most important value required of mentors who work with students is patience. Patience is one of the seven virtues of the Catholic Church, and in the Options Program, mentors are constantly reminded of it. Mentors must work according to what the students are comfortable with.

So what does a typical class period as an Options mentor look like? The program takes place in every period during the day, and mentors are assigned a student to help within their own periods. Mentors go to their students’ classes and assist them throughout the whole block. Usually there are between four to six students within the assigned period. While assisting the students, mentors also take part in working with them and observing their behavior.

Senior mentor Kenadee Cox clarified how students with disabilities should be treated during class-time. “I grew up around my sister who has disabilities, and I’ve learned so much from other people who have disabilities as well. These students shouldn’t be seen as having disabilities,” said Kenadee. Smiling, she added and said, “We shouldn’t sweet treat them.”

Students who are looking into climbing aboard the Options Program should know that they should join because they want to, not because they need to. Joining the program is not an obligation by any stretch. Dr. Burton and the mentors are looking for students who are ungrudgingly willing to assist students with disabilities on their free time. Students should know that working as mentors is a privilege, but that privilege can be easily taken away, so students need to be serious about their decision to join.

Senior mentor Matthew Perusse explained why he joined the Options Program. “I joined because I wanted to feel if there was a difference between talking to students with disabilities and without disabilities. My cousin has autism, so I already had some experience. I wanted to know what it was like to be a person who helps other people with disabilities. In the end, I wanted to gain even more experience,” he said.

The overall main purpose of the Options Program is to give students who have intellectual disabilities a chance to experience high school. Mentors offer moral support as “buddies” or as “private tutors,” and the experience gained from the Options Program is a gift for both mentors and students.

Senior Kenadee Cox said, “I encourage anyone who wants to join to take an application from Dr. Burton’s room. The experience gained from Options is something that is incomparable, and you will cherish your experiences throughout your high school career,” she said.