Surviving high school can be difficult; that’s an understatement – and almost every freshman, even before entering high school, knows this.
   To help them adjust to a new school, GS has a mentor program in place, where freshmen are paired up with seniors.
   “[The program] aids in transition to the high school by having someone to talk to about social [issues] and the curriculum,” Mrs. Racquel Sutton, who heads the program, said.
   In the past, though, the program was not as organized as it is now, meaning that students could not receive the support that was intended.
   “First, everyone, all the freshmen and the mentors, met in the auditorium and that was crazy,” Mrs. Sutton said. “Then we moved to rows and that was still crazy.”
   Senior Emily Faulds echoed Sutton’s evaluation of the atmosphere; she said that it was chaotic. Despite this, Faulds believes that the program is worthwhile.
   For some students, like Faulds, the program was helpful. She was comfortable with her mentor because they were already friends from band and they two shared the same interests. This was no coincidence, as mentees are matched with senior mentors according to interests.
   Other students, however, are not as lucky, having almost nothing in common with their mentors. Junior Greg Smith had numerous mentors and didn’t connect with any of them.
   “They only showed up half the time and they only seemed interested in getting out of class,” Smith said. “Most of the mentors didn’t know what they were doing; they just kind of sat there.”
   Sutton realizes that this problem occurs within the program.
   “Sometimes, the match is difficult; we can’t have a perfect match for everyone,” Sutton said.
   According to Sutton, though, the program is constantly evolving and an adult component could possibly be added to help those who receive inadequate mentors. However, inadequate mentors should be infrequent. Mentors must complete an application, go through online training, and be cross referenced before being accepted into the program.
   Still, immature and irresponsible people slip through the cracks and become mentors.
   “[The school should] be more selective with who they assign as mentors and which kids they get,” Smith suggested.
   Overall, even with the occasional poor match, which is constantly being worked on, Sutton is pleased with the way the program is working because if it helps at least one student, it is worth it. Sutton is also happy to see that people come into school and strive to become a mentor.
   “[It’s] become a part of our culture,” Sutton said. “And that was a difficult thing to do.”