Fanned out among several Middle School classrooms during Advisory last week, 10 Upper School Peer Counselors met with grade 6 students as part of a new “digital mentor” program.

 

The goal? Help younger students navigate their digital lives in a positive way.

 

The Peer Counselors led a discussion with the grade 6 advisories, walking them through a lesson created by The Social Institute, St. Margaret’s partner in educating and empowering students to have positive relationships with social media and technology. The lesson included an online survey that posed questions about safe and responsible technology use, and what students would choose to do when faced with tough situations in their digital lives.

 

The meeting with grade 6 students is the first of several the Peer Counselors will conduct this year.

 

“The group of mentors will rotate through grade levels and eventually meet with all students in grades 4-8 by the end of the year,” said Angela Mackenzie, St. Margaret’s director of educational technology.

 

The feedback was positive, as the grade 6 students immediately warmed up to their mentors and participated in an engaging and productive conversation about healthy technology use. 

 

“Our mentor was fantastic,” Middle School teacher and advisor Rian Otto said. “She was so confident and skilled in directing the sixth graders through the program, and I loved how she made sure to hear from as many voices as possible. It was evident that our advisory really responded well to her leadership.”

 

St. Margaret’s and The Social Institute partnered as a health-and-wellness initiative, empowering students to champion high character online, and show students how social media can be used to positively portray one’s self, reinforce leadership strengths and make the world a better place.