Freshmen are the youngest, least prepared, and the most vulnerable population at this school. Therefore, they need the most protection and wisdom from the upperclassmen. 

One way to pass on this wisdom to them is through the freshmen mentoring program, which began in 2019.

“We want them to have a great time in high school and to look back and say how much fun it was,” said junior Hannah Garman. 

Garman, who was a freshman in the first year of the mentoring program, joined as a mentor this year after the program was put on hold last year.

“We can make sure that they are learning new skills that allow them to have more fun and to experience more than Carroll has to offer without stressing about the academic side of things,” said Garman. 

Principal Brandon Bitting hopes this program will bridge the distance between the 10-12 building and the freshman center. 

“In our mentor meetings, Mr. Bitting was big on connecting the two because the freshman center feels so far from the 10-12 and there’s not a lot of interaction between the freshman and upperclassmen,” said Garman. “Freshman mentoring allows for the connection and interaction with the 10-12 students that the freshmen don’t normally encounter.” 

This program is another outlet for students to have someone to trust and rely on when parents and counselors aren’t enough, and when students could use a companion who knows what they are experiencing.

“It can be hard hearing things from teachers constantly but this gives them the opportunity to know what we, the upperclassman, have gone through and the skills we’ve learned along the way that are great benefits,” Garman said.