Forest Hills High students share G . I . R . L . power with mentees
It ’ s only been a few months since the Forest Hills High I ’ m a G . I . R . L . Club officially kicked off its mentorship program with fifth grade girls at Marshville Elementary .
But if you ask any of the teens about the program , they will tell you the connection they ’ ve made with their mentees -- and the impact that this experience has had on them -- has far exceeded any expectation they had of the program .
“ When we go in there and they start running up to us , it just makes me so happy ,” Forest Hills High senior Alicia Benson said , laughing . “ It really does light up my life . I love it .”
For several years , the high school ’ s I ’ m a G . I . R . L . ( Gifted , Intelligent , Respectful Lady ) Club has focused on building self-esteem , unity and awareness of women ’ s issues . Members have participated in community service and workshops about careers , finance , time management , education and equality .
“ But this year , we wanted to expand from it being just within Forest Hills High . We wanted to give back to the young girls who feed into the middle and high school each year ,” said club co-sponsor and Forest Hills High teacher Christina Rose . “ And since this initiative started , it has really just soared . I ’ m so pleased with it .” Once a month , 32 G . I . R . L . s meet with 27 mentees , whom they call mini- G . I . R . L . s , to discuss everything ranging from academics and transitioning to bullying and peer pressure . With the addition of a pen pal component , which was added to help align their work with the district-wide focus on literacy , the mentors are also able to check in with their mentees in between their monthly meetings .
“ As high school students , we ’ ve been through those ages where you lose and
gain friends . So now we ’ re able to help mentor and give advice to the mini-G . I . R . L . s on what they should do when they come across certain situations ,” Forest Hills High sophomore Ana Contreras said . “ With the letters , I get really excited every time I get one . My mentee said she still keeps the first letter that I gave her , and that just made me so happy .”
Just as the young mentees have grown and flourished through their participation in the program , Christina said , the teen mentors have also grown tremendously during the past several months .
“ There was nervousness initially . But their leadership abilities have grown tremendously and to see them understand the importance of
Once a month , 32 G . I . R . L . s meet with 27 mentees , whom they call mini-G . I . R . L . s , to discuss everything ranging from academics and transitioning to bullying and peer pressure .
With the addition of a pen pal component , which was added to help align their work with the district-wide focus on literacy , the mentors are also able to check in with their mentees in between their monthly meetings . empowering someone else -- we commend them for that ,” she said . “ If all other schools could have opportunities to have programs like this , I believe it will build more unity and we will see more growth emotionally with younger kids .”
Forest Hills High senior Abreyah Burch said many high school students don ’ t realize the impact they could have on younger students , which is why she encourages her peers to take a chance and make a positive difference in a young person ’ s life .
“ Honestly , I wish this was available to me when I was in elementary school . The transition from elementary to middle school is huge ,” she said . “ I didn ’ t have that type of mentorship when I was transitioning so it was difficult for me to find someone to talk to about bullying and things like that . I don ’ t want this to end when I ’ m graduate , so I ’ m just going to have to create a program like this in college .”
– This article was provided by the Union County Public Schools Communication Office .
2 • Mar / Apr 2018 • Parent Teacher Magazine