School Spotlight: Armstrong High’s Mentoring Program Connects Freshmen
Armstrong High School’s BARR program pairs freshmen with upperclassmen in an effort to help younger students navigate high school. BARR stands for Building Assets, Reducing Risk and is an educational model that prioritizes relationship building.
“It’s a big adjustment to go from the middle school into a big high school,” said Bella Enger, a mentor. “I try to reach out to help and say ‘hey, do you need help with this?’ or ‘It looks like you’ve taken a little longer on this.'”
Students who are juniors and seniors are mentors and share advice and tips with freshmen.
“Being vulnerable and letting them know that ‘hey, I struggled with this when I was in your grade so it’s okay. You’re not doing it perfectly. We’ll get there. We’ll get to the point that you know how to do it,'” said Lydia Solomon, one BARR mentor.
Mentors may help with academics, but they also help with study skills, transitions and time management.
“Rather than trying to teach them the subjects you’re trying to teach them to be better learners,” said Roshni Flannery, one mentor.
Mentors say the students bond over shared experiences and many of the interactions are simply about students fostering a relationship with one another.
“It takes 10-15 minutes and they’re chit-chatting away. A lot of the times the first time they meet, they don’t talk about school. They just get to know one another,” said Tim Lloyd, BARR Coordinator.
