A new mentoring group for boys at West Middle School is aimed at building relationships among students during the pivotal years of middle school.
Assistant Principal Sidney Bailey IV started the group in October as a way to build relationships among the boys at West Middle.
The group is called Bridge Builders – after a poem of the same name – and is a chance for older students to build bridges to help their younger peers navigate the uncharted waters of middle school.
“I see how impactful it is to build relationships with students beyond the classroom, beyond casual conversation,” Bailey said. “There are a lot of changes that happen in middle school – mental, physical and emotional – before students leave for high school.”
Pictured above: Bridge Builders listen to guest speaker Johnny Edwards, assistant superintendent of operations at PPS.
The group focuses on soft skills such as leadership development and self-esteem building and also practical skills such as handshake etiquette and learning to tie a tie.
“The boys learn about the importance of positive self-talk, goal setting and how the choices they make today impact their futures,” Bailey said.
The boys’ group is mirrored after a similar mentoring program for girls at West Middle that is currently led by Portage City Councilmember Jihan Ain Young.
The boys meet with their grade level peers weekly and all together at least once per quarter, the assistant principal said. The group gives students a chance to meet with their peers from a variety of backgrounds, academic performance levels, activities, athletics and more.
The group is about network building, he said.
“When they leave their smaller middle school, they will have a network of familiar faces to connect with as they enter the new – and larger – world of high school,” Bailey said.
Pictured above: Bridge Builders listen to guest speaker Ron Herron, former assistant superintendent at PPS.
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