Counseling Corner: Willowbrook Guidance Department offers New Beginnings program to assist freshmen

The Willowbrook Guidance Department is committed to providing initiatives and services to help students succeed inside the classroom and beyond.

As part of that goal, the department facilitates a student-organized peer mentor program called New Beginnings. That program trains upperclassmen to assist freshmen with their transition to high school while getting acclimated to all of the educational and extracurricular opportunities offered at Willowbrook. The upperclassmen leaders are assigned to a freshmen Warrior Time (resource period) and provide daily tutoring and interactive Friday activities, which are meant to engage students. Activities include:

• New Beginnings Olympics: A competition among the freshmen Warrior Times (resource rooms)
• Icebreakers: Getting to know your mentor and other freshmen
• Clubs and Activities/Athletics Fair: Leaders share information about the extracurricular opportunities at Willowbrook and encourage freshmen to get involved
• Activities that promote academic success
• Interactive teambuilding exercises

There also are interactive presentations/activities given by counselors, which include:

• “Family Feud”-style game: Getting to know the Guidance Department
• A video and a PowerPoint presentation describing the resources available through Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) and how to access them
• “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”-style game about grades, final exams and more
• Registration/course-selection presentation

The focus is to provide opportunities for freshmen to build positive connections with upperclassmen, who can serve as role models and help with the transition to high school. Upperclassmen are able to build on their leadership and teambuilding skills.

For more information about the above events, contact the Willowbrook Guidance Department at 630-530-3417.