Round Rock ISD is facing a shortage of adult mentors, who usually work with at-risk students struggling in the academic or social field.

The Supporting, Teaching and Reaching Students, or STARS program, matches mentors with students. Currently, the district has 290 members in STARS, though the program has expressed much interest in growing the number of student mentors.

Mentors are meant to serve as a positive role model for students who may be feeling pressure in their academic or personal lives. Mentors and their students usually spend time during the student’s lunch period engaging in activities like playing games and reading.

“Mentors allow students to have a person who isn’t so closely connected to them academically,” Assistant Principal CaRita Forte said. “A mentor is a friend, a person who is supposed to be a guiding light and somebody to bounce ideas off of.” STARS is seeking mainly male, multilingual, and ethnically diverse members of the community to become mentors.

Those interested in becoming a member can fill out an application at roundrockisd.org/volunteer. After the application process, background checks will be held and applicants will sign up for training. After the training is complete, mentors are matched with students from schools and grade levels of their choice based on interests.