“I have heard students exclaim ‘Yes!’ and jump up and down with excitement when they see their mentors in the morning,” said Julie Allen, assistant principal at Morris Brandon Elementary School.  

And so begins a new peer mentoring program started this year between North Atlanta juniors and seniors and third and fifth graders at Morris Brandon Elementary, one of North Atlanta’s feeder schools. A select bunch of North Atlanta students take time from their busy academic lives to help mentor their younger peers. This is the second peer mentoring program provided by North Atlanta students. Another cross-age peer mentoring program is in place with Jackson Elementary, also a feeder school to North Atlanta.  

The mentorship program’s goal is to provide assistance to younger students who are in need of guidance, in hopes that older students will be able to connect and relate. The program is organized and run by Ruth Blackstock, an assistant to North Atlanta guidance counselor Marc Genwright. The first session was held in October and sessions will continue throughout the academic school year. “Most of the mentors chosen are juniors,” said Blackstock. “We want the mentees to have continuity with their mentors going into the 2018-19 school year if at all possible.”

IB junior Taylor Hunter is a first-year mentor and is also a Morris Brandon alumni, so trips back to her old school are even more meaningful for her. “It’s been great mentoring these kids,” she said. “I’m gaining a lot of experience from this and I hope the kids are getting as much out of it as I am. I was once there so it’s great being able to come back and help out.”
The academic and peer support that the program provides will help guide the mentees in a positive direction for student development. Academic research shows that elementary school children with high school peer mentors appear to be better connected to school, friends and parents than classmates without mentors.

Mentors, who are culled from the junior and senior ranks, leave every other Tuesday before school to meet with their mentees to discuss everything from schoolwork to giving advice on friends. “I really enjoy being with the kids and being able to be there for my mentee. It’s an experience that will last a lifetime,” said Junior Billie Summerour. “It is good to help out the community.”
North Atlanta students’ contributions go on inside and outside the classroom in order to help the future North Atlanta Warriors. “Our students say that their mentors have a lot in common with them and that they can’t wait for them to come back next time,” Allen said.

It is clear that the peer mentorship program is leaving both a lasting impression on the mentor and mentee and will continue to be in place for years to come.