Upper School Peer Leadership: A Unique Program that Fosters Community
Ninth graders during the annual Ninth Grade Fun Day event, which is dedicated to grade-wide bonding activities which are facilitated by seniors in the Peer Leadership program. Photo credit to Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon ’23.
By Dinah Megibow-Taylor ’24, Marketing and Communications Department Intern
The Upper School Peer Leadership program provides a unique source of connection between seniors and ninth graders at Moorestown Friends School. Introduced in 2014, the program gives a select number of seniors the opportunity to mentor ninth graders in small groups as they transition into the Upper School.
The full-year Peer Leadership course, mandatory for all ninth graders, hones seniors’ leadership skills and provides ninth graders a space to explore moral and ethical dilemmas and important social and academic aspects of the Upper School.
“The overall goals of the Peer Leadership program are to provide a space for the freshmen where they can feel like they can ask questions and get advice in a less-formal environment than their classroom … and to have a space where they can speak openly about their experience at school,” explained Peer Leader Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon ’23.
As a former Peer Leadership student, Nathaniel has seen both sides of the program, and recounted that he really appreciated having somebody who was familiar with the school to talk to and to help with things that he wasn’t sure about when he was in ninth grade.
A new student, ninth grader London Miles, expressed that the Peer Leadership program has helped her bond with fellow classmates and helped ease her transition into the school community: “I’ve talked to many people that I wouldn’t have talked to,” she said.
Ninth grader Liam Richards remarked that his experience in Peer Leadership has been “fun, relaxing, and actually, really helpful.” Liam emphasized that being in small groups provides very meaningful connections, and that he had not known many people in his group, and that he now knows everybody in the class.
Though ninth grader Anjali Shah has been attending Moorestown Friends since Lower School, she also believes that Peer Leadership has been invaluable to her transition into the Upper School: “I really love Peer Leadership; it’s something I look forward to each week. It really feels like a safe space for me,” she said. Anjali added that “having leaders that are upperclassmen, it makes you feel connected to the whole school … they know what’s happening, and they’re good people to rely on for information.”
Anjali noted that the important topics that her Peer Leadership group has already discussed include managing stress, what to do when you need extra help with teachers, asking for that help, and more.
Nathaniel reflected on his ongoing experience as a Peer Leader, saying, “I have really, really enjoyed it. I have a great group of kids, and I think that they’ve been very receptive and engaged with what we’ve been trying to do with them. And overall, it’s also been a learning experience for me, because I can see what’s changed since I was a freshman and I can also hear from them about what their experience is.”