The 2024-2025 Peer Group program has been ongoing since the beginning of the school year. Each year. three senior Peer Group leaders are chosen to consistently meet with a group of around 12 freshmen throughout the year. The program’s purpose is to help freshmen become accustomed to life in high school and to connect with older students.
Peer Group began with a retreat: in August, Peer Group leaders along with facilitating faculty members met. Senior Nala Verlus viewed this event as having great value: it “brought everyone together” and she could “talk to people I’ve never talked to before.” To prepare for their meetings with freshmen, Peer Group leaders have a dedicated class in which faculty members Mr. Ryan Jannos, Mr. Robert McCulloch, Mr. Edgar Mariano, Mr. Thomas Quigley, and Ms. Amy Matlack assist in creating their lesson plans, talk about leadership strategies, and do team bonding. Senior Sanjana Thakur claimed she didn’t expect to get along with the other Peer Group leaders so well, and that the classes were always “really fun and positive.”
The Peer Group meetings with freshmen occur every Day 3 and every other Day 6 during community block. In these meetings, leaders organize a variety of activities with the new high schoolers, such as playing kickball, presenting slideshows, taking them on the ropes course, and acting out skits. The Peer Group leaders are given a great deal of freedom, with senior Brandon Richmond remarking that he didn’t expect “total control over what happens” in these meetings.
When asked about his first impressions of meeting with the freshmen, senior Adam Stewart commented that there was a big gender divide, leading to ninth-graders in the same Peer Group only talking with classmates they already knew. But he reflected that recently there has been an improvement—now the freshmen are “more open to talk, though some people are still quiet.” Senior Charles Ewing agreed that “a lot of progress has been made in bridging the gap between seniors and freshmen.” Freshmen Brady Lemole, Sebastian Estrada, Ruby Matthews, and Anika Yedlarajaiah all agreed that although the meetings were somewhat boring or intimidating at first, the friendliness of the seniors quickly made it “lightweight” and “relaxing.” Freshman Robert Wei added that “Peer Group leaders are supportive and make all the meetings engaging.”
The Peer Group program has proven to be a positive resource for incoming freshmen. It appears that the senior Peer Group leaders are successfully fostering a supportive and welcoming environment, helping freshmen acclimate to their new climate. Hopefully, this positive trend will continue throughout the year and help provide the sense of community and belonging that PDS greatly values.
