The SMART Program allows high school students to become mentors for younger kids. Mrs. Ponter is the liaison for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, also known as the SMART Program. This is her second year recruiting high school students as mentors, known as “Bigs,” and their job is to be a role model and helper for younger students, whether it is with homework or with overall social skills. Mrs. Ponter works closely with the BB/BS Program Administrator, Mrs. Werner. They “collect applications, arrange interviews and training, and facilitate the implementation of the mentoring program at the Middle School.” Mrs. Ponter hopes, “that the program continues to expand because I truly believe that high school mentors make a difference in the lives of younger students.”
In addition to the positive effects the program has on the younger students, it also has a positive impact on the high school students who are mentors. Mrs. Ponter says, “It looks great on college and employment applications! College recruiters and employers are sure to be impressed by seeing individuals being part of the nation’s largest mentoring network.” Students could also use this mentoring opportunity to satisfy an Act 158 graduation requirement for the service-learning hours.
The program runs at the middle school every Tuesday from 1:30 pm until 2:15 pm. Mrs. Ponter and Mrs. Werner hope that they receive enough volunteers to include Tilden Elementary in the program again as they did in the past. On Tuesday, November 14, the program started up again for this school year. Sophomore Tia Adam, describes her second year as a Big as nice and explained what they did, “We got paired with our small. Mine was a 7th grader. We were also in a new room this year. It was across from Mr. Hoffman’s room in the seventh grade hallway. There were also a different variety of kids this year, a couple from 6, 7, and 8. I enjoyed getting to know the littles especially mine. She was very nice and I helped her with her homework.”
