A group of Irvington High School seniors, who are members of the Peer Leadership Program, recently engaged ninth graders in teambuilding activities and games during the annual Peer Leadership Retreat at Matthiessen Park.
The 33 seniors implemented their independently developed teambuilding activities across 11 freshman cohorts to build a sense of community.
The Peer Leadership Program is designed to support the incoming ninth graders’ transition to high school and provide them with a place to feel comfortable and connected to their community. In addition, it focuses on easing the adjustment of freshman year in academics, sports, clubs as well as extracurriculars and social interactions while also supporting the district’s Character-Building Framework throughout the year. The peer leaders meet with the ninth graders once a week during the school year.
“The entire day was full of so much fun and laughter,” senior Kaitlyn Krieger said. “My peer group enjoyed getting to know each other through different teambuilding activities and fun games like blob tag. It was really amazing to see all of our freshmen working together to answer questions and solve problems.”
“It was inspirational to see the peer leaders interact with the freshmen and lead the activities,” said Kyle DeBatte, school counselor and co-adviser of the program. “The freshmen had a great time while also building a sense of community and trust with their senior peers. I am looking forward to watching this group progress throughout the school year.”
