Beginnings: Process of Implementation
An elementary school in the local school district (School District 18, Fredericton, N.B.) agreed to serve as a pilot site. We wanted to do a pilot to iron out any difficulties. The principal of a local elementary school (pilot school) who had attended some of our proposal planning meetings was eager to participate. The pilot site school also housed three grade 4 classes which were the target audience.

Arrangements were initially made for the Mentors to visit the three, grade 4 classrooms once a week for 30- 45 minutes over a four week period. The length of time was deemed appropriate as we believed that short chunks of time would be effective. The project intended to have the mentors read to boys and girls together, using boy- friendly texts and activities. However, school closures because of weather and parent-teacher interviews reduced the pilot to three weeks. The idea of the project had been met with such enthusiasm that the principal and teachers of the pilot site requested that the two, grade 3 classes also be included.

For the next two years (2002 - 2003), we were located at our research school. At this site, we included grade three, grade four, grade five, and two French immersion classes. It was a bonus that our mentors were so willing to go to all of these classrooms. The children would often stop one of the researchers in the hall and ask if 'those guys' were coming back next year. This past year (2003), we had a call from a middle school (District 18) and have begun to send mentors to two grade six classrooms there. What will we do now that the project is officially over? We believe that the mentor program will continue due to the positive profile of the research, university students are easier to recruit now, and schools are willing to have the mentors. The success of the program lies in the structured training module and materials that have been developed as well as the short, yet regular amount of time spent in all the classrooms. One half hour per week, while brief, is sufficient if it is well organized.

Mentor Selection Process
Since the goal of the Male Mentor Reading program/initiative was to provide students in elementary school, particularly boys, with male role models for reading, the Athletic Director and the varsity hockey coach at St. Thomas University (STU) were approached about the possibility of inviting players of the men's hockey team to participate in a Male Mentor Reading pilot program. The initiative was well received by the coach and the Athletic Director as it also coincides with the strong community service learning commitment at St. Thomas University (the location of the research project).