Frequently Asked Questions
Mentors
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Every September, we recruit new mentors. New mentors must complete a background check, attend our annual mentor orientation, and score 100% on our orientation quiz, so we can ensure mentors have the most current program information.
Please know we are interested in mentors who want the best for our students, not those who may be more interested in our organization for resume padding.
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In-person mentors work in teams and regularly (weekly) meet with our students and their teacher contacts after school (from about 2:45-4:30pm).
Alternate or “float” mentors will be available to fill in when our regular mentors are absent.
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Inspire and encourage confidence in any student you work with. Do not take over a student’s project; instead, make suggestions and provide background for those suggestions, so they may make their own decisions.
Younger students may zone out every so often. Make eye contact to ensure you have their attention when you explain important concepts. If needed, take breaks to ensure they are not feeling overloaded with new information.
If you aren’t sure a student has grasped a concept fully, ask them to repeat the concept back to you. Most importantly, teach your students by meeting them at their level of knowledge without condescension.
For more of these tips, visit our mentor guide!
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Yes! Since Oraculi offers both in-person and virtual mentorship to students, our virtual mentors do not have to be from the Rochester area.
Our high school mentorships are currently all virtual on Zoom or Google Meet.
We also provide virtual mentors for students at other schools without an in-person program or for students who are homeschooled.
Students & Parents
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Yes! We match students with mentors for free and we can even help students pay for registration costs and project supply costs.
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Both!
Our in-person mentors meet with students at these middle schools on a weekly basis: John Adams, Dakota, Kellogg, and Willow Creek.
Our high school mentorships are currently all virtual on Zoom or Google Meet.
We provide virtual mentors for students at other schools or students who are homeschooled.
We also try to provide consultations with mentors in more niche fields, as needed.
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Virtual mentorships address our students’ online safety in multiple ways. Mentors work in either pairs (a single student has two mentors) or teams of three or more (students mentored in a small group will always have a ratio of one mentor per one student).
All virtual mentorships are conducted over Zoom or Google Meet. Records of meetings are kept in case any problems may arise. After meeting summaries are emailed to students and parents who have provided their emails.
If any problem should arise, the involved parties are urged to email Oraculi so it can be addressed.
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The Rochester Regional STEM Fair is open to students in grades 6-12 (middle school and high school students). This STEM Fair is open to students who live or go to school in the city of Rochester, MN.
There is usually a Southeast Regional STEM Fair, but the Southeast region did not hold its own fair in 2023. Individuals residing in the Southeast counties Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Washaba, or Winona registered for the Rochester Regional Science Fair for 2023.
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The GATEway Science Fair runs from February to April each year. It is open to students in grades 3-6 (mostly elementary school students). This means 6th graders can participate in two science fairs!
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Boys & Girls Club of Rochester: we are coming into the second year of our program for grades 3-6.
We hope to expand to Rochester Public Schools elementary schools in the future.
Community
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As a registered non-profit, all funds go directly to the program.
Funds go towards:
Student Support (Science Fair registration fees and project costs)
Student Outreach (letting students know this program is available to them)
Mentor Appreciation (food/beverages during in-person training, small holiday and/or end-of-year thank you gifts)
Administrative Costs ()
If you have more questions about donation you can email us at oraculi.mentor@gmail.com
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Tell people you know about the program! If you know people who would be a good fit as a mentor invite them to participate and if you know students who want help suggest the program to them.
Invite people and businesses to donate to the Oraculi mission to help students in the area get the help they need with science fair projects.
Volunteer! We are always looking for more mentors. If you want to volunteer to help with the Oraculi program we are looking for people to help us bolster our social media/ marketing presence and get the word out.
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Absolutely! Oraculi is always looking for new in-person mentors from different demographics, especially for middle school, as basic STEM knowledge applies pretty widely at this level.
We are also looking for transportation help for mentors who can’t drive to local schools.
Additionally, our mentorship program began to expand by word-of-mouth, so please do pass on this opportunity to anyone you think would be a good fit!
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