The shift from middle school to high school can be one of the hardest times of a student’s life. Anna Speller, an MICDS student and member of Congregation Shaare Emeth, hopes to help alleviate some of the stress and hardships that come along with this transition. Her newly formed organization, known as the Peer to Peer Program, is open to all high school students who want to help mentor middle schoolers and incoming freshman. With responsibilities ranging from addressing school and academic issues to helping students with their social lives, the goal of this program is to create a positive environment for those struggling to adjust to their freshman year of high school. 

“[In middle school], I [didn’t] fit in with my friend group and did not feel like myself,” Anna said. “Seventh and eighth grade were very awkward.”

Anna first began planning the program around a year ago with the help of Vicki Thurman, the MICDS Director of Student Services. There are 30 students participating this year and Anna hopes that this number will increase to 50 by next year. 

Thurman said she supported the program because high schoolers can offer a new but relatable perspective to students. She also hopes that “students will look up to high-schoolers as friends and mentors to confide in.”

One participant, Lauren Mishkin, a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth, recently joined the program as a mentor-in-training. Like all mentors, she will meet with students in small groups and have interactive sessions on each topic. 

With seventh graders, mentors discuss the idea of toxic friendships and toxic communication in high school. Social media is another topic that will be addressed with seventh and eighth graders, with the focus on the wrong and right ways to post information online. Healthy decision-making will be the final subject discussed. 

The program is ready to begin next school year, as Anna and Thurman have begun teaching the mentors their intended curriculum in order to prepare them. Mentors are also being guided in seminars by outside groups such as Safe Connections to learn to deal with tough subjects like domestic violence.

“[I am] excited to teach middle schoolers about unhealthy relationships, toxic friendships and helping them get ready for high school.”