BETHALTO - Civic Memorial High School welcomed freshmen today for an orientation and a chance to meet the peer mentors who will be working with them throughout the school year.
The FreshMentors program assigns one upperclassman student to around five freshmen. The older student will check in with their group throughout the school year and serve as a point of contact if they have questions or need help connecting to resources.
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“[We] started the FreshMentors group where our students mentor the incoming freshmen to make them comfortable throughout the school year,” Principal Justin Newell said. “So we are just the guide by the side, and the students are doing it all themselves.”
Phil Schneider, a social studies teacher and the FreshMentors Coordinator, added that most of the students who signed up as mentors chose to join the program because they found it helpful when they were freshmen.
“The FreshMentors join up because they had such a good experience. It really made their first day or freshman year so much easier,” Schneider explained.
In addition to introducing students to the high school and easing their transition, the FreshMentors program also encourages freshmen to sign a “CM Next: Commit to Graduate” form. They hope this will help guide students toward post-secondary education and improve their workplace readiness.
Incoming freshmen write out goals for high school, think critically about their strengths and challenges, and renew their commitment to graduating. As they begin the school year, Newell and Schneider hope all students will use these connections to engage in their education.
“When this group was started…the idea was to help kids, make going on to high school easier and help them think more actively about their high school experience,” Schneider said. “You’re a young adult, but you’re making decisions now for the rest of your life. So, no pressure to decide your course now, but you can start thinking in those terms. If you want to be an adult, then start thinking like an adult.”
Aug. 16 is the first day of school for Civic Memorial students.
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