As my parents walked away on that late-August morning, I anxiously pushed my way through the gate outside Gordon Parks Arts Hall for the first time. Standing in front of me was a welcoming committee holding colorful signs, personalized for each new student, that said, “Welcome to Lab.” I scanned the row for my sign and approached my new mentor.
For the first few weeks of school, this mentor and I would simply wave to each other in the hallway and sometimes exchange greetings. Despite these interactions appearing insignificant, knowing someone older within the community, who I knew would support me, allowed me to feel far more confident in this new environment. Although my relationship with my sophomore buddy helped me, friends I made who weren’t new to Lab didn’t get to have that same mentor experience.
To create an easier transition, mentorship programs should be added for all ninth graders to help them in many aspects of their transition into the high school environment.
With mentors having been through similar experiences just the year before, the advice and support offered is incomparable to what school counselors or advisers offer. This guidance would be another way to create a comfortable environment for ninth graders, both academically and socially.
The benefits of relationships with older students are already visible through those made through clubs and sports. The value ninth graders like me place on these friendships, and the impact that they have on overall feelings of integration into the high school community, showcase the impact that an expansion of mentorships could have.
Although these relationships may already be happening through clubs and sports, the time when I needed the most support and encouragement from a peer was the beginning of the year, far before I felt confident enough to reach out to older students — even if they were someone I admired. A built-in program to develop these connections would support students from the very beginning of the year, often the most difficult adjustment period.
Despite the casual, simple friendly relationship I had with my mentor, the program still had an immense impact on my experience beginning high school. Having either mandatory or volunteer-based mentorship programs would help ninth graders integrate into the high school, receive valuable advice and build a connection that encourages community across grade levels.
