Big brother's watching
Mentoring program helps with transition to high school
By Joan Tupponce CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Freshman Ving Do (from left), junior mentor Courtney Ritter, freshman Gregory Heckel and junior mentor Matthew Riley, all students at Clover Hill High School, talk about making the transition to high school.

Clover Hill High School (CHHS) junior Katie Mehaffey admits she was a bit apprehensive when she stepped into the doors of the high school as a new freshman.

"Everybody in middle school talked about high school as being this big thing," she recalled. "It was a different setting, and I didn't know how the kids would act. I didn't know about lunches, classes or homework. The whole experience scared me."

Luckily, Mehaffey had two older brothers who had attended the school.

"One of my brothers was a junior at the time, and he helped me through it," she said.

But, not every freshman is so lucky. That's why the school's student council has formed the new Clover Hill High School Freshmen Transition Mentoring Program this year. Mehaffey will help oversee a team of student mentors who will play "big brother" or "big sister" to incoming freshmen, helping them make the transition from middle to high school.

"Studies find the worst year for students is their freshman year with higher absences and more failure," said Clover Hill Social Studies Department Chair Roni Mattera. She and science teacher Erin Peebles are working with the students who head up the student-run mentoring program. "The study asked kids who dropped out of school when they made the decision to drop out. Many said they decided the first two weeks of high school. What we're trying to do is make that beginning more positive."

Through the program, each freshman is paired with a junior or senior mentor who has volunteered his or her time. Each mentor will work with up to six freshmen. Currently, the program has 95 mentors.

"They must be in contact with the freshmen at least five times during the month," Mattera explained. "The mentors will also meet with the freshmen at the end of each month to see how they are doing."

Mehaffey and other members of the council like senior Gray Kidd spent their summer setting up training for the mentors and planning for the CHHS Cavalier Kick-Off Day, which was held last week. Kidd wanted to get involved in the mentoring program because of his interest in education and educational leadership.

"This is a great way to get accustomed to working with younger students and help them get accustomed to life in high school," he explained.

The kick-off was designed to replicate a school day. Approximately 220 freshmen participated in the event, which included everything from games and informational sessions to activities and lunch.

"We wanted to simulate what lunch would be like on the first day of school," Mehaffey explained.

The group also organized a fashion show with skits that emphasized what clothing is and isn't appropriate for school. Another social event is planned for after the first home football game.

As part of the mentoring program, Kidd created a Web site that will be used by mentors and students.

"It was designed for the mentors, but parents have found out about it, and I've been getting e-mails from them," Kidd said. "They are excited about the program. It's great that they are interested in the school."