School can be demanding. North Atlanta High School is no different. Many students go home with hours of homework every day and it can prove to be a stress overload. Juniors in the IB Program are new to the onslaught of assignments, and many are overwhelmed by all the struggles of IB. Whether it’s the extended essay, stoichiometry problems, or prepping for the SAT, every night of homework can entail several challenging hours of homework. 

However, North Atlanta is looking to lend a helping hand to these juniors by introducing the new iBuddy mentorship program. The program was introduced by the school’s IB coordinator Danielle Costarides, and currently has roughly 410 upper-classmen within 25 groups. The program not only incorporates IB Diploma Program students, but students from the new IB Career-Related Program as well. In the iBuddy Program, current juniors enrolled in the IB program are given helpful advice from people who have already been through the grit and grind of the first year of the program: IB seniors. Costarides said program newcomers have a lot to learn about how the program works. “Although the teachers and I explain all of it sometimes, it helps the juniors to hear it from their peers,” said Costarides. “They offer advice, ideas, and a shoulder to cry on too sometimes!”

Juniors are not necessarily the only ones that benefit from the program. The seniors that are chosen for the program by IB teachers get a chance to share their knowledge and be leaders in the school. In the meetings, they come up with the topics to discuss and work in pairs with another mentor in each group so it helps develop their own skills such as communication and social collaboration skills. “Working with and mentoring juniors is a fun part of IB and its nice to help them get through it,” said senior Sterling Fleury.  

The juniors and seniors of the iBuddy program will be meeting with each other at least two more times before the end of the semester. The juniors and seniors of the program are further looking to work with each other to make the year flow by more stress-free and better for the newest IB class. Everyone needs a buddy in life, right? Now those in IB decidedly do.