Connecting the Tots

New Roads’ Mentorship Learning Lab builds meaningful bridges between Divisions.

It’s safe to say that the majority of highschoolers enjoy reminiscing about their elementary school days. What highschooler wouldn’t want to go back to elementary school? No stress or responsibility, just fun and games. But what if there was a way for high school students, here at New Roads, to be able to connect and bond with a young child, giving them the chance to revisit their memories and participate in some of their favorite lower school activities, all while connecting with and mentoring a younger child. Welcome to New Roads’ Mentorship Learning Lab.

The mentorship learning lab was originally formed in 2021 by Beth Simmons-Abronson, the current Director of Student Learning in the middle school. She saw how talented some of the high schoolers were, but she also noticed their struggles, and wanted to create a way for them to discover and utilize their skills. “I thought: wouldn’t it be great if I could combine utilizing their talents…and giving them a space to work to take away some of the stress and struggles of highschool?” Simmons-Abronson said.

The program is currently under the direction of Upper School Director of Student Learning, Sarah Fahey Durantini, who was more than excited to take on a leadership role. Both directors share big dreams for the program. “The big piece of the program in my mind is leadership, community and building bridges between campuses — I feel like that piece is happening. The part that I’m really hoping for, and it hasn’t evolved to that point yet, is the moment of ‘these are struggles for me as a student, and I need a space to figure out how I learn.’ What I really want to come out of it is for the students to figure out how they learn, and teach their method to an elementary school student,” Simmons-Abronson said. Both directors know that there are plenty of students who would love to mentor and spend time with Elementary School students, and they are so happy that they can give them a space to do that.

The MLL meets with the elementary school’s first graders every Thursday from 12:25 – 12:50. They participate in a variety of different activities. They play games, read stories, take part in hands-on activities, solve math equations and other typical elementary school tasks. “I love watching the kids figure out the answer, whether it be math, reading, or figuring out a word. It’s very rewarding,” says senior Nick Jaffe, one of the student mentors. “I saw [the lab] as an opportunity to teach kids, and I really enjoy that. I think giving back to the community is something that is really special and the fact that the school has this opportunity should be taken advantage of,” Jaffe said.

Jaffe’s desire and passion to help younger students is admirable, but it’s not the only benefit of the MLL. “I think it’s important for kids to get exposure to different age groups of people. In terms of myself, I always looked up to my big brother even though he’s 10 years older than me,” says senior Sam Kenyon, another mentor involved in the program. “A big goal of mine is to make somebody feel the kind of way that people I look up to/looked up to made me feel…it can teach you about yourself,” Kenyon said.

Kenyon is not the only one who is celebrating this kind of connection between upper and lower school students. “It is so amazing to see the look on an elementary school kid’s face when they are reading a book to an upper school student or creating a story with them…playing ‘Red Light, Green Light’… reading books. It really warms your heart to see a 6/7 year old with a 15/16/17/18-year-old,” Fahey Durantini said.

And even if the reasons students are ending up in this program might appear random, the results, clearly, are not.