Freshmen students and parents attend Peer Leadership Night
On Monday, Oct. 17, freshmen students and parents of freshmen students attended Peer Leadership Night.
Wesleyan’s peer leadership program is a student-centered program through which 24 outstanding seniors are carefully selected and trained by a team of faculty sponsors to serve as mentors for freshmen students. Group sessions take place three times per month and serve as a space for freshmen to get advice from their peers about adolescent issues.
“For freshmen attending peer leadership groups, our hope is that they will see the value in letting down their guard a little, loosening their grip on some of their walls, and letting other people in,” explains Shelley Noble, director of alumni giving and peer leadership teacher. “I want these students to know that relationships that are person-to-person, without the assistance of technology, are valuable.”
Additionally, the peer leadership program serves as a means to help seniors grow their leadership skills and equip them to step into current and future leadership roles.
During Peer Leadership Night, parents had an opportunity to meet with peer leaders and a small group of students to discuss common concerns about high school and learn more about the freshman experience. Students were invited to answer questions about common high school fears and concerns, giving parents insight into the concerns that may be on their child’s mind. Likewise, parents were invited to answer questions about their own concerns about their child entering high school with the hope of a door being opened to a conversation that could be continued after Peer Leadership Night.
Questions that students were asked included:
- What is something you wish your parents did less of?
- What’s been your biggest stress of high school so far?
- What are you looking forward to about your future in high school?
Questions for parents included:
- What’s your biggest fear for your kid in high school?
- What’s the biggest stress of being a parent of a high schooler?
- What’s the biggest difference from your child going from middle school to high school?
“Our hope for Peer Leadership Night is that parents got a lens into what the Peer Leadership experience is like for their children, in a fun and experiential way,” describes Davis Brown ‘10, assistant director of Christian life and peer leadership teacher.
Thank you to all the parents and students who attended Peer Leadership Night!
