By: Gabby Lewis, Editor in Chief
As all River Hill students know, the transition from middle school to high school can be a tough climb. In comparison to eighth grade, being in ninth grade is a swift shift into being a teenager and having more independence. The Class of 2022 is bigger than any of the other grades, with over 200 students from JumpStart, meaning more students than ever before are adjusting to high school life. With the addition of this year’s mentoring program, “Hawks on the Rise,” the new freshmen will hopefully have a much easier start to their time at River Hill with the rest of the school body.
“Hawks on the Rise” pairs incoming freshmen, or “fledglings,” with an upperclassman who acts as their mentor. With the help of mentors, or “falconers,” the freshmen will have someone to guide them during the school year and aid them with problems both academic or social. The falconers and their fledglings, or “kettles,” eat lunch together on certain days, and multiple kettles will eat together on specified days as one large group known as a “cauldron.” In addition, each falconer with their kettle is paired with a teacher who can give the freshmen further advice if needed.
Ms. Martin, one of River Hill’s English teachers and the leader of the ninth grade team, created “Hawks on the Rise” this year specifically because of the amount of freshmen from JumpStart rather than from feeder middle schools, meaning that it could be harder for students to find a group because others from their own schools were feeding elsewhere. One of her goals is that “[the freshmen] don’t feel alone this year and that they feel connected to somebody or something… I was hoping that this would give them a way to find friends faster and give them a support group.”
Martin also hopes that “both the mentors and the freshmen will actually both grow, will learn from each other, will become more empathetic and understanding, and more relationships will form between grades so that the school doesn’t feel so big.”
Senior Melissa Anderson helped Martin by being her assistant in the entire creation of “Hawks on the Rise.” As a student coming in from one of the minimal feeder schools, she remembers being “desperate to bond with others and feel like I belonged.” She chose to help make the program to “create an environment where incoming students regardless of their prior schooling or backgrounds can come together as one River Hill.”
Although the school year has only just begun, the program has begun to help freshmen’s transition feel easier and more natural. Freshman Sam Rennich states, “My mentor has not only introduced me to new people but has also taught me the “basics of high school,” or so to say.” Another ninth-grader, Olivia Lewis, adds, “My mentor has given me some of his own advice as to what high school is like and his opinions on teachers and stuff which really helped me feel more comfortable… during the first week.”
“Hawks on the Rise” might be a new program, but it will hopefully become a staple aspect of River Hill culture in years to come so that we can come together and be more united as a school community.