One of the many unique things about Magnet is the Peer Mentor Program. This program, run by the fantastic Mrs. Yackey, matches one Sophomore, Junior, or Senior mentor to a handful of Freshmen. This program allows the new Freshmen to interact with their assigned upperclassmen regularly and have an experienced peer to help guide them through the first year at Magnet. Starting at Summer Scholars, the Peer Mentor Program extends through the entire school year at Magnet, letting Freshmen ask questions about things throughout the year; these topics range from clubs and club fair to spirit week to midterms and finals. Mentors meet with their mentees once every few weeks, often doing team-building activities and simply answering questions.
My mentor during my Freshman year was Meriem. Moving to Magnet from middle school was a big jump, so having a mentor was super helpful. She was very knowledgeable and supportive, especially regarding finals and AP week. She was also hilarious and so kind to everyone. Overall, she was a great role model for my Freshman year. Because of my great mentor, I applied to be a mentor myself at the end of my first year.
During my sophomore year, I was a peer mentor with eight mentees. My study hall was with Mrs. Calabrese that year, and it was a great group of people. While meeting with the Freshmen was a bit overwhelming at first, I really enjoyed being a mentor because it was a great way to meet many new people and grow in many different areas of soft skills. It also was great to have the opportunity to gain some much-needed service hours, as well as the chance to meet even more of the first-year students at Summer Scholars. It got much easier by the end of the year since those once strangers became familiar faces. My favorite memory is playing games with my mentees and fellow mentor Elaine Chen’s mentee group. It was a very joyous 45 minutes in study hall! After that memory, however, my second favorite memory would be the day we did a Zoom College of Charleston mentor training during the second semester, and we got Chick-fil-A for lunch as a mini reward for participating in the mid-year training.
To learn more about the experiences of other mentors, I have decided to interview a handful of previous and current peer mentors to hear about their times as AMHS peer mentors!
Question 1: What is/was your favorite part of the Peer Mentor Program experience so far?
When asked about her favorite part of the mentor program, Quinn Enright (12), a new mentor this year, replied, “My favorite part is having the opportunity to meet the new Freshmen because I have the chance to meet and interact with people I would not normally meet.” Quinn added, “It is also pretty nice to have the freedom to choose when to hold a meeting,” which is a very nice plus since you are not obligated to conduct a meeting every week. She said that when choosing when to schedule a meeting, she “works with the Freshmen’s schedules to make sure that they are not overloaded with work,” which is smart because while these meetings can be enjoyable, sometimes the overwhelming stress of Magnet can make even the most satisfying moments stressful.
A former mentor, Grace Griffin (12), said her favorite part of the mentor program was “having the chance to make friendships extending over multiple different grades.” Whether it’s with other mentors or your mentees, becoming friends with these people in other grades helps to give you another perspective of Magnet as well!
Izzy Robinson (11) said that her favorite part of the mentor program is having the chance to “meet the Freshmen and pass on Magnet traditions.” Magnet is an exceptional school, so having the opportunity to pass on these unique traditions is also very satisfying!
Question 2: What is your favorite mentor memory (so far or last year if you were a mentor in the past)?
Quinn’s favorite memory so far has been Summer Scholars, saying, “It allowed me to meet some of the other mentors for this year so we can collaborate and work together to help make the year with the freshmen as successful as possible.” Summer Scholars is always a great introduction to the upcoming year, making it easy to meet new people, so this is a great memory to have!
Grace Griffin recalled her favorite memory: “meeting Nora and Tiana.” Tiana and Nora are two other mentors that Grace had the chance to meet through the program. In fact, Tiana was one of my eight mentees during my year as a mentor! The mentor program has a very tight-knit group because of the importance of collaboration.
Question 3: What do you find the Freshmen ask questions about the most during a meeting or individually?
Grace said her mentees asked the most about school spirit and school events. Since Magnet is relatively intense with school spirit at football games and goes all out during the bi-annual spirit weeks, involvement is essential. She said, “During the fall and spring, football games and spirit week often came up during meetings.” With spirit week and homecoming in the near future, as many students need to participate as possible.
Izzy said her mentees ask the most about classes, specifically “finding classes or biology.” Since Biology is often one of the more challenging Freshman year classes at AMHS, asking questions to your mentors about it is a great way to learn more about these topics. Additionally, mentors can help connect their mentees to peer tutors if they need any additional help.
The peer mentor program is another remarkable thing at Magnet that sets us apart from other high schools and is very valuable to mentors and their mentees. If you’re a Freshman this year and need any help, AMHS has set the freshman class up for success, so make sure to consider reaching out to your mentor because they can be great resources. And if you’re a current Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior, consider applying to be a mentor when applications open this Spring because I know I do not regret taking advantage of this extraordinary opportunity!
