Kids Work Together with Peer Mentoring at Hart Middle School

For an hour before school on Wed., Nov. 16, eighth grader, Nadia Bichri, and her seventh-grade buddy, Abigail Richardson, worked excitedly on a service project for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Any significant differences between the two girls were irrelevant or unnoticeable as they sat together folding felt scarves around miniature reindeer perched atop lollipops, all the while talking and laughing.

“We’ve known each other since the beginning of the school year,” said Abigail. “We’re good buds, right Nadia?”

“Right!” agreed Nadia, who explained that she moved to Pleasanton from the Chicago suburbs right before eighth grade.

Meanwhile in an area set aside to make cards for service members, sixth grader Will Carlson and his eighth-grade buddy, Victoria Shu, combined their astounding talents – his in illustration and hers in writing and penmanship – to create a lovely card for troops in Afghanistan.

Will’s detailed illustration of a bald eagle adorned the front of a card while Victoria’s message read, “Dear Troops: Thank you for all your services. We wish you the best for you and your family…”

The energy was palpable in the two rooms at Hart where more than 40 students gathered.

With approximately 20 eighth graders and 20 sixth or seventh graders, the Wednesday meeting served as the second monthly get-together for these students this school year.

Anyone unfamiliar with the reason these several dozen students voluntarily meet on a monthly basis might assume they are simply a group of like-minded, good-willed, motivated friends.

In part, this is the case.

But the students’ membership in a peer-to-peer mentoring group at Hart is the main purpose for these meetings, which are led by Hart counselor Karen Barberio-Kitts.

The goal of the program is to help at-risk students build self esteem, confidence and relationships, and find tools to succeed in their school environment.

Mentees are identified by teachers who feel these students would benefit from having a buddy on campus. In most cases, mentees are students who either have special academic or social needs, or are having trouble navigating their way through the complexity of middle school.

Eighth grade mentors are recommended by teachers as students who either have strong leadership skills, the ability to be good role models, or great potential to develop untapped leadership skills.

The program, therefore, serves both mentees and mentors in different ways.

At the outset of Wednesday’s gathering, Barberio-Kitts explained to the group that students would have an opportunity to write a letter and make a holiday- themed candy craft for U.S. troops from the Pleasanton area currently still serving in Afghanistan.

Once the students began working in small groups to complete their project, a spirit of partnership and teamwork took over the atmosphere.

Within half an hour of their group work, the dynamic in the room began to come into focus. In each pair or group of three, one older child could be seen encouraging or guiding a younger student.

Barberio-Kitts said she hears that much goes on behind the scenes in these mentor-mentee relationships.

“That’s really the goal,” she said.

“They talk to each other at school and they even email each other and develop connections.”

She explained that the community service aspect of the program is a way to enhance the lives of the children, as described in The Search Institute’s list of 40 Developmental Assets, which Hart Middle School follows in many of its counseling programs.

“Sometimes students become mentors because they had such a positive experience when they were mentees,” said Barberio-Kitts.

One example is eighth grader Andrew Brumm, a Hart student with special academic and social needs, who is in his third year of the peer-to-peer mentor program.

“Andrew was a mentee in sixth and seventh grade and really enjoyed it,” said Janeen Brumm, Andrew’s mother.

“He has wanted to take some type of leadership role for some time now, but we needed a safe environment, along with adult support, for him to spread his leadership wings, so to speak.”

Barberio-Kitts was happy to pave the way, and told the family Andrew could begin this week as a mentor, paired with another eighth grader to co-mentor a younger student.

Based on observations from his first meeting as a mentor this week, Andrew’s special needs did not hinder his leadership ability.

At the Wednesday meeting, Andrew did not wait to be assigned to a co-mentor or a sixth grade mentee. Instead, he pointed to another eighth grader and asked that boy to join him as a co-mentor working on the morning’s project with sixth grader, Max Curoso.

Soon, Andrew spotted sixth grade mentee, Xavier Irizarry, and asked him to join the group.

Before long the four were busy creating crafts and cards for service members and interacting with one another.

“I often hear stories of Foothill and Amador students who are still in touch with their middle school mentors or mentees,” said Barberio-Kitts.

Anyone observing Hart Middle School’s peer-to-peer mentoring in action could see how a program like this might help cultivate leaders, spread knowledge, and use existing resources to foster relationships and development.