'Lunch Pals' mentor program guiding Pinellas County students for nearly a decade

'Lunch Pals' mentor program

Mark Wilson reports.

TAMPA - One man has been a guiding force in the lives of students across Pinellas County one lunch at a time.

For nearly a decade now, Dean Giancola spends about 30 minutes each day having meaningful conversations with students.

"Lunch Pals is a no-excuse program," said Giancola. "You can't come up with an excuse not to mentor. It's that simple. It takes like maybe an hour a week, maybe an hour every other week. Who doesn't have that nowadays?"

Dean Giancola spends about 30 minutes each day having meaningful conversations with students.

Today, Giancola is a Lunch Pals mentor for 34 students at six different schools.

He meets with students during their lunch breaks and the goal is to build confidence, resilience and trust.

"Each kid is so unique and individual, and you're able to create this relationship based on listening and being patient and being there, being consistent. That's all it takes," said Giancola.

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What they're saying:

Pinellas County Schools' Deneen Wyman says Giancola's ability to connect with students is remarkable.

"We have seen that our students that have mentors graduate high school," Wyman said. "They go on with post-secondary needs, attend college. They actually have higher graduation rates in colleges. So they just do better and they're better individuals."

Dean Giancola spends about 30 minutes each day having meaningful conversations with students.

His mentees leave each session feeling encouraged and smiling.

"It's really fun because he brings candy and whatever points I get and the game I play with them," said Blake Brown, a student. "I get that much. Pieces of candy from the shark itself."

What you can do:

But Giancola’s impact doesn't only include mentoring students. He’s also recruiting and guiding new mentors, ensuring that even more students get the support they need.

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A simple lunch break, a caring mentor, and a lifetime of encouragement. For students in Pinellas County, Giancola is proof that small moments can lead to big changes.

"Like we're all kind of created to leave some kind of legacy in this life. And man, mentoring is one of the best ways to do that," Giancola said.

Giancola recently got rewarded for all his hard work, receiving the Middle School Lunch Pal of the Year award.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Mark Wilson and Bryan Gray.

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