By Tasnim Oyshi
Staff Writer
When Trenton local Francisco Guerra began his academic journey at the College as a psychology major, he knew that he wanted to be involved in the neighboring community. Since his freshman year, he has been a part of the Bonner Scholars Program, which allows students to complete 300 hours of service in exchange for a tuition scholarship per year. Having started his volunteering at Mercer Street Friends, Guerra is now a co-site leader in his final year, along with fellow senior Halyn Principe.
As one of the many community partners of the Bonner Institute at the College, Mercer Street Friends is a nonprofit organization that works with various medical, social and human service organizations and schools to aid families in Mercer County. They serve as a food bank, provide resources to parents and render educational support to children.
Through their Community Schools Initiative, they are currently partnered with six schools in the area, including Gregory Elementary School in Trenton, where Guerra has volunteered for nearly four years now. According to Guerra, Mercer Street Friends’ partnership with Gregory Elementary has existed since one of the years when COVID-19 was still prevalent.
It was originally a virtual program started by a former Bonner Scholar and has expanded since. The number of Scholars since he has been a part of the site has grown from four to 12.
Now, he and the other Bonner Scholars at the school assist kids and teachers in the classroom, at after school programs and extracurricular activities, as well as at events like Community Saturdays, which include activities such as roller skating, yoga and chess.
“We’re trained to make sure that we're being an emotional support to the students and not really correcting them,” says Guerra. “Sometimes the kids come from different, unbalanced households so we just want to make sure that the students feel like school is a safe environment for them and provide that support.”
According to Nigel Johnson, assistant director for Community Schools, teachers are also heavily reliant on the help that Bonner Scholars supply. “I don't think a lot of people understand that teachers have a lot to do when it comes to lesson plans,” Johnson said. “They have a lot to do with managing their kids and managing different temperatures in the room and those Bonners providing an extra set of eyes, extra set of hands, really help those teachers.”
In addition to aiding in classrooms, Guerra also hosts student council at Gregory Elementary. Planning for this allows him to complete his weekly eight to 10 hours outside of physically being on site, which can be difficult with the added duty of his senior capstone.
“I used to go four times a week for like 10 hours,” he said. “Now I only go three times a week but I still try to maintain myself doing things out of school. So I usually help with whatever preparation the teacher might need for some kind of curriculum they have planned, or if there’s maybe an arts and crafts or after school program.”
As their work involves interacting with kids, there is a training process the Scholars have to go through. Each Scholar is fingerprinted, background checked and trained with trauma-informed care. While the procedure can be simple, Johnson highlights its importance.
“Sometimes it’s new for them,” he says. “But it’s just having them recognize that they are working with kids and how they’re supposed to behave, how they’re supposed to act, how they’re supposed to dress, as a role model in a sense.”
During their time at the school, Bonner Scholars often build solid relationships with the students there. “I think it's always important that people understand that students want to be loved, students want to be cared for, or they want to be noticed, to be seen,” Johnson said. “So when they come to school, and they have a Bonner and that extra role model that sets the example for them, it goes a long way to show them what's right from wrong, help them feel special, help them feel like they're being heard and listened to, which sometimes is all kids want.”
With all his responsibilities at Mercer Street Friends, his on-campus involvements and regular classes, Guerra finds that staying organized and keeping a calendar can be crucial in managing his time. “As a first year, it was very difficult but now as a senior, I feel like it's been a lot easier to go through that process because I know what's going to come and I know the deadlines,” he said, adding that Bonner encourages their Scholars to put education first.
However, Guerra considers his time spent at the school fulfilling. “I feel like I’ve made a family in that school and everyone knows me,” Guerra says. “I've made such an amazing connection with every single person I've come across and even some of the parents as well.”
Johnson credits the Bonner Scholars for aiding with the dynamics in the school. “The most influential change they’ve contributed to is helping create a family environment in the schools,” he says. “Bonners have been able to help with the family dynamics and family environment. Teachers feel less stressed. Ms. Harris, the principal over at Gregory Elementary, is able to feel a little more relaxed knowing that some of her teachers have support.”
While volunteering at Gregory Elementary has had a positive impact on the students and teachers there, Guerra will leave the program with a lasting impression as well.
“I wanted to join Bonner because I wanted to know more about my community and it has exposed me to so much more, especially when it comes to the education system and the students here,” he says. “It’s very rewarding because you’re able to really experience something that not everyone gets to experience.”
