Stella Schola builds community through mentoring

“The mentor-mentee program is like having a younger or older sibling you’ve never had. You get to learn a lot from each other,” says Ishita Gadhamsetty, eighth grade student mentor.

One of the cornerstones of the Stella Schola Middle School experience is the robust mentor program that involves all three grades. The mentoring program is structured so that the sixth graders come in and have the support of not just one older student, but two – a seventh and eighth grader.

“We think of it like this – the sixth graders are the campers, the seventh graders are the counselors in training and the eighth graders are the camp counselors,” says Judy Ronning-Larson, Stella Schola’s eighth grade teacher. 

Stella students experience tremendous personal growth in this program. In sixth grade, the students begin learning how to work collaboratively through the monthly activities. They learn from and observe the skill level of the seventh and especially the eighth graders via discussions, projects and more. 

“Stella’s mentor/mentee program gives me good leadership skills and it’s an amazing opportunity. I have learned so much,” says Violet Guy, eighth grade student mentor. 

Building skills is not the only benefit that the mentoring program provides. Students love the strong sense of community the mentoring program fosters. At a time when headlines and research show students struggling with their social-emotional health, students at Stella recognize the importance of working with and getting to know students in all three grades. 

“I like the mentor/mentee program because it encourages students to build community, as well as connect more people to one another. It also allows people to have fun and always be there when they need help,” remarks Amogh Pise, seventh grade student.