What do elementary school students and senior citizens have in common? They can each learn from the other. That is the philosophy behind the Telementor Project, an educational mentorship program developed by Director Alverna M. Lewis as her dissertation at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Through a partnership between Westbury Public Schools and the Senior Citizens of Westbury Center, Lewis aims to create an intergenerational learning community that will benefit both students and seniors.

The Telementor Project has two phases. Phase I is a face-to-face tutorial implemented in the final years of elementary school. In addition to tutoring, seniors also participate in computer exercises that will help them attain the skills necessary to implement Phase II.

The 'telementoring' aspect of the program is fully developed in Phase II. It is initiated during the first year at the middle school level in order to continue the support and guidance of students during their transition into the middle school. Communication throughout this phase is via the Internet, using an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) program which will allow students and their mentors to converse and peruse informations simultaneously.

Phase I was successfully piloted at Powells Lane Elementary School during the 1998-99 school year. Thirty seniors volunteered four hours a week to serve as facilitators of one-on-one tutoring experiences for 100 fifth graders. In return, the seniors were taught computer and Internet skills to use while working with the students and in their daily lives.

Through mentor training sessions, the seniors learned ways to share knowledge and skills necessary to teach students to become informed, effective citizens of the Westbury community. Students researched Westbury's history, government, community services, educational facilities, houses of worship, businesses, clubs and organizations, entertainment, recreational facilities, and other attractions. They then organized and evaluated this information and expressed their new knowledge in a written (computer generated) report. The culminating activity was a field trip to Village Hall in order for students to learn firsthand about how their government works.

In addition to being reinstated in Powell's Lane School, Phase I of the Telementor Project was introduced to Drexel Avenue School this fall, with plans for implementing Phase II the following year. The mentors are continuing their focus on the Westbury community. A unit called "Oral History" was added to the program, which will involve the village historian leading a question-and-answer session at Drexel Ave. the week of Dec. 6. Additionally, the students' final reports will be given to the mayor, who will provide certificates for all participating students.

"The kids seem very interested," said mentor Vivian Nelson, a newcomer to the program who formerly taught in the Westbury School District for almost 20 years.

Mary Wojtusiak said that her reasons for becoming a mentor included a love of children and the feeling that mentorship is very important. "People were there for me when I was a kid, so I want to help other kids," she said. "I am also interested in learning more about the computer," she added. "It's a computer world out there."

For more information, or to volunteer as a mentor call 997-6529 or 333-2009.