Columbus Bishop Ready High School graduate Taron Slone wasn’t sure he wanted to return to his alma mater as a mentor the first time he had the opportunity, but when a second chance came, he realized God was calling him to a new position.
Slone, 28, who has been married for two years and has two daughters, said he had been mentoring young people in Akron’s inner city for about three years when former Ready principal Celene Seamen asked him in 2019 if he would be interested in a similar role at his old high school.
“I enjoyed what I was doing in Akron,” he said. “The kids I was working with needed someone to not give up on them, to push them. I was providing them with an example of the person I needed when I was their age. So, at first, I turned Celene’s offer down.
“But it stayed on my mind for the next year. God was pushing me in that direction, and eventually I accepted the position, beginning with the 2020-21 school year. The timing turned out to be fortunate, for the COVID pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, and I was laid off from my position in Akron.”
When Slone arrived at Ready in fall 2020, the school was coping with the effects of COVID by splitting the student body into two groups, with one group attending classes in school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and online Thursdays and Fridays, and the other group reversing that order. Masking and distance requirements also were in effect, and lunches were eaten in the cafeteria and the gym, with distancing rules being observed.
All students returned to the school in March 2021, but spacing at lunch continued until the following March. School principal Matt Brickner said the difference when all COVID-related restrictions ended was obvious.
“Everyone was excited to be back in the building. Noise returned to the cafeteria and the halls, and all of us, teachers and students, loved being back together,” he said.
Though the limitations are gone, Slone said the effects of COVID linger. “Students are still struggling,” he said. “You can’t miss a year of regular education and not be affected by it.”
Slone is part of the school’s guidance department. “I work with students either directly one-on-one or in small-group gatherings, concentrating on one student at a time,” he said.
“Most students I see are brought to my attention by specific teachers or by the guidance office as needing mentoring and are sophomores or freshmen, but I do see some juniors and seniors. My door is open to anyone, and some just walk in.
“I’m fortunate to have the gift of childlike energy, meaning I can still remember how things were for me when I was the same age as the students,” he said. “I’m an adult who can relate to young people.
“I was an athlete in high school and college and ran the 200- and 100-meter dashes, and I continue to work out every morning. I’ll race the kids and go to football and basketball practices and games to encourage them. Those are the kind of places where they’ll often be more open than in an office setting.”
Students appreciate his efforts away from the office. “He’s helped me become more of a leader,” sophomore Lia Wahl said. “He told me to keep calm during basketball games and use my intelligence to help others see the good qualities in me. He’s always supporting me, talking to me and my dad after games, so I know he’s concerned about me and wants me to succeed.”
“Mr. Slone is good at getting kids involved in things both inside and outside school,” sophomore Mya Riggins said. “He had eight or 10 of us go to a diocesan schools event called the Martin Luther King Day of Engagement and make a 60-second presentation on the subject of mental health within the Black community. Doing that was a great boost to my confidence.
“I do the hurdles and the long jump in track, and he knows I’m a good athlete, but he also knows I’m smart. He encourages me whenever I see him and reminds me of that.”
Rocco Fumi, vice principal for student affairs, said of Slone, “We brought him back to Ready to work with kids on a variety of levels because it’s so important to have someone who can say, ‘I was where you are once, at this school, so I know what you’re going through, and here’s how I handled it.’”
“Taron always cared about other students and got a lot out of his time here,” said Brickner, who has been at Ready for 21 years, including the past two as principal. He was dean of students when Slone attended Ready from 2009 to 2013.
“He had good experiences and made sure other students also did. You could see how well he related to people and that he would do a great job helping others.”
Slone said, “Students often talk to me about life after high school and their sense that they don’t need many of the courses they’re required to take.
“I tell them, ‘You have to take things seriously. You may not think you’ll need something then be surprised later when you find out you should have paid attention to it. Take advantage of what you have in front of you now, including the things you don’t like.’
“When students have problems, how they react to them makes such a difference. I often ask, ‘How are you going to get through this moment? How will you respond to it?’ Being able to step back, look at things and anticipate a response allows students to face a situation with much more assurance.
“I deal with kids in moments of high stress, often when they’re feeling depressed or anxious,” he said. “I struggled with those myself. Telling students, ‘I see your struggle’ and having them know someone else has gotten through it often has a big impact and enables me to teach them a lesson on how to get through things and take time for themselves.”
Some of the students Slone worked with have continued seeking him out for advice after their graduation or have told him how what he taught them still makes an impact.
“Mentors are masters at receiving delayed gratification,” he said. “I know I’ve been called to serve, and those moments when former students express appreciation years later make me feel I’ve found the right calling.”
Slone also owns a couple of investment properties but said he is in no hurry to change careers.
“I love what I’m doing and want to stay active for as long as I can,” he said. “At some point, I may combine youth work and real estate. I want to keep pushing forward, sharing and spreading God’s love and helping young people be everything they were meant to be.”