Do you remember the first time you came to Clinton as a freshman? Perhaps you walked down the bright, white hallways and passed classrooms with yellow walls. Along those hallways and inside those classrooms, there were teenagers who looked older. They wore black t-shirts that said “Peer Leaders,” and they talked to you about the Clinton School lifestyle that you just began.
Remember this time of your life? Now imagine it without the black-shirted Peer Leaders. Envision walking into the white hallways, straight into classes with teachers and no Peer Leaders. There is no one to tell you about their freshmen year at Clinton, no one to warn you about procrastination. Well, thank goodness the Clinton Peer Leaders do exist and are becoming more present within the Clinton community.
A few weeks ago, both returning and new Peer Leaders attended the freshmen orientation. They gave the freshmen “an idea of what it would be like during their high school years,” said Riley Peacock, a 10th-grade Peer Leader. The freshmen at the orientation were lucky to have had this opportunity to meet with upper classmen before they began their school year. Beyond this orientation, the Peer Leaders will continuously meet with the freshmen to ease their transition.
The Peer Leaders at Clinton give advice on how to study, time-manage, and develop good organizational skills, since that is what’s expected of you in freshman year. The Peer Leaders prepare the freshmen for these challenges, helping make 9th grade less overwhelming.
Besides focusing on telling freshmen “What to do and what not to do in high school” said Riley Peacock, Peer Leaders also try to focus on making sure the freshmen are excited. Riley Peacock said her favorite part about the orientation was getting to tell them her “favorite parts of 9th-grade.” From Mr. Snyder standing up on tables to sharing new memories with new friends, 9th-grade goes by quickly. All of a sudden you are a sophomore and there are two more years till college, and then you wonder what happened to those freshmen days. The Peer Leaders are there to remind freshmen to cherish these moments, but also to help them get through them.
As the school year goes on, students are moving up grades, reflecting on their year, saying goodbye to the teachers they had, and taking what they have learned to the next floor, which might just look the same as the last. But as they move up, there are new people moving in: the incoming freshman. They don’t exactly know how to do things, whether that be studying or figuring out how to keep a positive mindset. They need some guidance from the grades above, and specifically from our Clinton Peer Leaders – there to help them and make sure they are ready for what the IB has to offer. Luna Craemer, an 11th-grade Peer Leader said “it’s good to have a person who can look out for you,” and that is who your Clinton peer leaders are— that person.They are there for you, even if you aren’t a freshman, so let’s appreciate them and be there for them too.
