Grades 9-12  •  Colonia, New Jersey

Meet Your Mentor Night

Seniors at Colonia High School help ease the transition to high school for incoming freshmen through the Peer Assistance at Colonia (PAAC) program. This Senior/Freshman mentoring program gets a positive start each year with Meet Your Mentor Night. Incoming freshmen are invited to attend the event through summer information packets. The event is held in the evening, a day or two before the start of the school year. Approximately 200 incoming students are randomly paired with about 130 mentors, who give them a personal tour of the school based on their individual class schedules. The new students are given an informational booklet, written by former students, on what to expect at Colonia. They also learn about available clubs at an Activity Fair attended by club sponsors and student members. Mentors and their mentees exchange homeroom numbers and sometimes e-mail addresses. Mentors check on their mentees during the first few days of school. The relationship then continues as desired by the students. Colonia mentors are chosen because of being students who embody Colonia's core values. They help to create a caring community by personally welcoming and assisting the newest members of the community. Participation in the successful program continues to grow.