AUSTINTOWN — Austintown Intermediate School kicked off its Falcon Friends program last week.

The annual initiative seeks to build connections and positive relationships for students in the school, community and at home. Each student member of Falcon Friends is teamed with a staff mentor for the school year to encourage personal growth, teamwork and school engagement. This year, 75 mentors each will guide a group of 12 students.

“The Energy Bus,” an inspirational and motivational book written by Jon Gordon, is the focal point for this school year. The book became popular in 2007 as a business / self-help book. The story centers around George, who is struggling with life. He wakes up one morning to a host of problems — his car breaks down, he’s on the verge of losing his job and his relationships are falling apart.

He decides to take the bus to work and meets the aptly named bus driver, Joy, who, during the course of the bus ride, introduces George to 10 rules for becoming more positive and redirecting his life. He learns to become “the driver of his own bus,” engage with life in a positive manner and enjoy the ride. Like George, members of the Falcon Friends are learning about The 10 Core Rules for changing your life. The rules of the road for one’s Energy Bus are:

• You are the driver of your bus — Take responsibility for your life.

• Desire, vision and focus move your bus in the right direction — Know where you’re going.

• Fuel your ride with positive energy — Use optimism, enthusiasm, passion.

• Invite people onto your bus and share your vision for the road ahead — Bring others along.

• Don’t waste your energy on those who don’t get on your bus — Avoid spending time on people who drag you down.

• Post a sign that says “No Energy Vampires Allowed” on your bus — Guard your energy.

• Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride — Your attitude matters.

• Love your passengers — Care for the people on your bus. Recognize them, value them.

• Drive with purpose — Purpose fuels your journey beyond mere tasks.

• Have fun and enjoy the ride — Life (and work) isn’t only about reaching the destination; enjoy the journey.

To bring the theme to life, staff members built a life-sized “Energy Bus” display in the school. During lunch periods last week, students had the opportunity to “get on the bus” by signing their names on it, symbolizing their commitment to positive energy and teamwork.

Tiffany Mraz, a fifth-grade Intervention specialist, is serving as a mentor this year.

“As a mentor, I have gained insights into the needs of students, have been able to talk about accountability and responsibility, provide a listening ear and watch my Falcon Friends grow and succeed in their social and emotional environments.” Mraz said, noting that school is more than just academic learning. “Developing skills to navigate social surroundings is equally important.”

Austintown Intermediate third-grade math, science and social studies teacher and mentor Kelly Castronova believes that the Falcon Friends initiative helps students become more independent. She said the focus is on community, team building, gaining trust in others and learning how to communicate to reach our goals.

“It is a joy to be able to mentor students and see them develop the positive communication skills to strengthen our culture here at AIS,” Castronova said.

Falcon Friends members weighed in favorably on their experience. Cora Castronova, fifth-grade student and daughter of Kelly Castronova, said she enjoys the opportunity to meet new people through Falcon Friends. She also values meeting students and teachers from other grades.

“We can meet adults that can help us when we need things in the future,” Cora said.

Fourth-grader Dahlia Inglis also found the social benefits of joining as a motivator.

“I get to meet new friends, spend time with different teachers and travel to different places in the building. I love learning about expectations in our school because they teach me life lessons and make me a better person,” she said.

Another benefit of joining Falcon Friends was pointed out by Lisa Fitzgerald, school counselor. She noted that referrals to counselors typically increase after the start of Falcon Friends, giving teachers more insight into student needs.

“Teachers have a much better pulse on individual student needs due to the small group environment. Students that may have been unintentionally missed or overlooked have an opportunity to have their needs addressed. A student referred due to some financial hardships would have never surfaced if not for Falcon Friends,” Fitzgerald said.