Peer Leaders at Bay Creek MS: Welcoming new students with open arms!

"Students are more comfortable talking to their peers, so being able to welcome them to our school and answer their questions helps them feel better on their first day," says Daniel, a Bay Creek Middle School peer leader.

For the 51 peer leaders at Bay Creek Middle, Peer Leadership is a year-long Connections class for 7th and 8th grade students. In the spring, students apply for the class for their next school year’s schedule. The school also includes students served in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Level 3 and Specific Learning Disability (SLD) classes with a modified application process to make sure the program is inclusive of all students that want to participate.

Peer Leaders sign up for one or more mornings per week to welcome new students. They escort new students to the breakfast line, walk them through their schedule, and drop them off at their homeroom where the teacher typically assigns them a buddy for the day. Peer leaders check in with the new students periodically and answer any questions they have.

“We plan to further develop this program next year into a mentoring opportunity that lasts longer than just a couple of days,” adds Bay Creek Middle Peer Leadership teacher Lynn Cook. “Our peer leaders thought new students might want more time with them and asked if we could make a ‘New Student Buddy Program’.”

Cook says peer leadership allows students an opportunity to further develop their skills in teamwork, time management, communication, and patience, as well as other important skills. Students learn a lot about themselves as leaders, and many of the "soft skills" needed for any job.