Submitted by Meghan Tice
Entering a new school can be tough, but there are two mentoring programs at Berlin Middle/High School that aim to help students with transitions between elementary, middle, and high school.
[private]The two national programs are called WEB, which stands for Where Everyone Belongs, and the Link Crew. These are national programs run through the Boomerang Project. Both programs utilize current students who have already gone through the transitions, so they are able to share their experiences and knowledge as they mentor younger students.
WEB is a transition program that consists of eighth grade students who help guide sixth-graders entering Berlin Middle School. The mentors provide a student perspective to help educate new sixth-graders about the procedures and expectations of being middle school students.
The WEB students participated in a training and orientation over the summer with coordinators Marsha Ball and Erin Rightmyer, who teach Math and Social Studies, respectively, at Berlin Middle School. According to Rightmyer, BMS has been implementing WEB for three years.
There is also a mentoring program for students entering high school. Link Crew is a national ninth grade transition program where upperclassmen, known as “Link Leaders,” mentor the incoming Freshmen class to promote positive school culture and academic success. The Link Leaders will continue to check in on their Freshmen Crew throughout the school year to help them start high school off on the right foot.
Members of Link Crew also participated in trainings so that Link Leaders, the upperclassmen mentors, were able to effectively provide a special orientation for the new freshmen on the first day of school. Link Crew is led by Nick Toole and Samantha Noles, who teach Earth Science and Art, respectively, at Berlin High School.
“The motto for Link Crew is ‘students helping students succeed,’ said Noles. “We are so proud of the work our Link Leaders have done thus far. They are truly committed to helping their Freshman Crew through the challenges of high school. We are excited to see what these student leadership roles will do for our school’s culture.”
The theme for this school year at Berlin Middle/High School is “We’re all in this together!” All staff and students received green t-shirts with this slogan on the back, as well as the Mountaineer logo on the front.
All Berlin MS/HS faculty, staff, and administration are committed to creating a positive school environment that fosters academic excellence. The addition of WEB and Link Crew will undoubtedly help to achieve those goals.[/private]