Meet Your Committees: Peer Mentoring Committee

Part of what makes Greenwood’s community so special is the numerous committees and student groups that develop a thriving and interconnected school community. One such committee dedicated to creating an enriching community is the Peer Mentoring Committee. Peer Mentoring aims to build community, support student growth, strengthen academic performance and increase inter-grade collaboration. 

Tessa Palmert ‘22, David Pearson ‘22 and Mira Seagram ‘22 are the current executives of the Peer Mentoring Committee. This program pairs older students with younger ones to provide not only academic support but also social support. Mentors and mentees meet weekly to check in, work on a challenging subject, get organised or just to spend time playing games and getting to know each other. 

The Peer Mentoring Committee is focused on supporting younger students with their school work and helping them develop learning strategies and skills, such as organisation. By working on these skills at a young age, students will have the necessary skills and habits to benefit them in the future. Peer Mentoring also focuses on social engagement with students from multiple grades with fun activities and spending time with each other. Of course, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Peer Mentoring executives were challenged to create more online activities that the mentors and mentees could do together. David, Mira and Tessa remain hopeful that as the year progresses, COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted so that in-person meetings and large group activities can take place yet again. 

Despite the challenges they faced from COVID-19, the executives have seen the noticeable positive impacts of the committee. “We often see older and younger students in the halls saying hello or stopping to chat after meeting each other through the program,” say David, Mira and Tessa. “We also love to see the participating students’ academic confidence and organisation grow while they also get the chance to meet others. It is amazing to be able to positively impact school life for younger students and help them through the challenges that high school can bring.”

The Peer Mentoring Committee welcomes any students from Grades 7-9 to join as mentees. They can join by asking their Adviser who will help get them set up. Mentees can join at any time of the year so it’s never too late to participate. Mentors are selected at the beginning of the year after filling out the leadership application, as is done for the rest of the committees. The Peer Mentoring Committee looks for mentors who have a genuine interest in getting to know other students, who enjoy working with others and who can be positive role models for younger students.