Middle school: a place that people either love or hate. Everyone has a different relationship with it. Some people thought it was fun, while others found it scary or even otherworldly.
Middle school is when people make new friends, learn who they are, and find their way through this uncertain, bumpy time in their lives.
Middle School Mentors are there to help with that. They teach students about the importance of addressing world issues, encourage them to get involved, and show them ways they are able to help.
Once a month, at each of the middle schools, H2O (Help to Others) brings in high school students known as High School Mentors. These mentors are high schoolers who choose to visit the middle school and receive training from other mentors and leaders of H2O on how to properly guide the middle schoolers.
They help the middle schoolers with service projects that H2O has organized to help promote learning about what is going on around them in the Lakewood community. Any middle school student is welcome to attend any of the meetings that Lakewood holds, and H2O encourages both middle and high schoolers to come.
“We have Google Classrooms for different areas of our programming that we can add students to, and remind messaging as well,” said Emmie Hutchison, head of the H2O program. “We maintain a Google site with our projects so you can check in and see what we have going on.”
Last Monday, Oct. 7, the first meeting of the year was held. During the meeting, members decorated the sidewalks of Harding Middle School with kind messages to welcome the students to another day.
This is only one of many activities they do. At other meetings, members brainstorm solutions to some of Lakewood’s biggest issues, or they make Thanksgiving crafts for the elderly who live in the Westerly Apartments.
These meetings help the community in countless ways, and that dedication shines through with the middle schoolers. Declan, a middle school student at Harding, said, “I joined just for the fact that we’re helping the community.”
Each meeting offers something new with the middle school program, making it unique; both middle school and high school students learn something new every time.
The benefits for middle school students are numerous. They get the opportunity to help in the community, which teaches generosity, giving back, and empathy. They get to work with students their age to accomplish something for the good of others.
One of the students shared that they joined the program to help overcome social anxiety. These programs and clubs help the students make new friendships, which can positively impact the rest of their middle school experience.
Additionally, the middle schoolers develop a sense of purpose, and with the help of positive role models like the high school mentors, that sense can stay with them.
The high school students also gain valuable experience from this program. They don’t solely participate for service hours but instead for deeper reasons.
Elliot Bruce, a high school mentor, said, “I hope to show them that there are a lot of experiences and opportunities in life, and once you get older, it gets better.” Mentors support and guide younger students on how to help the community, which in turn helps build their own sense of purpose and self-confidence.
They also develop leadership and responsibility, preparing them to become adults.
The Middle School Mentor program benefits both high school and middle school students. Participants get to help improve the community and discover a greater purpose within themselves.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join. For more information or questions regarding the program, email Amy Chodzin or Emmie Hutchison.
