According to the Department of Mental Health, 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight. With increased eating disorders developing in today’s youth, a lack of healthy perception poses a problem for the teenagers stuck in the middle of these issues.
Five years ago, the parents of the eighth grade class, including current peer counselor advisor Molly Sargent, were concerned about influences on their children.
Sargent decided to begin the class after realizing that her daughter’s (Mary Sargent, ’09) class, now seniors, would benefit from a relationship with a well-balanced older girl.
?Some parents and I had been talking about how junior high is a hard time socially for many girls,? Sargent said.
Sargent began a plan where the peer counseling members and junior high girls were matched up and went out to lunch at “The Promised Land” once a week, encouraging dialogue between them.
Shevach Pepper said in his ezinearticles.com piece Sibling-Relations The Importance and Benefits, ?Many health professionals who have studied this particular subject have stated that the relationships that we share with our siblings have a big impact on our psychological and social development.?
?A parent pointed out that most of the children in my daughter’s class are only children or had much older siblings,” Sargent said. “We thought that maintaining a relationship with a high school girl would be beneficial to them.”
After four years in motion, the program has continued to influence seventh and eighth graders’ relationships. A two-year little sister, Logan Rood, ’13, has appreciated the sustained interaction with her sister from last year, senior Lindsay Bolduc.
?I really enjoyed being a part of Sister2Sister because you get to make friends with high schoolers and get to know them,? Rood said. ?The program helped me feel more comfortable getting ready for high school, and I feel like I can talk to them if I needed to now.?
Although the program was developed to benefit junior highers, big sisters can also be positively influenced by the experience.
Nikki Erickson, ’09, a two-year peer counseling member, has enjoyed being a big sister. Nikki and her classmates have been preparing to form a beneficial relationship with the younger girls.
?I like being able to be a big sister,” Erickson said. “I enjoy getting to know the younger girls. Training to be a big sister has also helped me with my conversational skills.”
When the current big sisters graduate in May, the cycle will begin again and many who have participated as little sisters in the past will continue the legacy. The class plans on holding their first meeting with their sisters in early November.
For more information, e-mail Molly Sargent.
