Summer is finally here, and you know what that means: summer school! Vacation will have to wait, but on the bright side, exciting new changes are happening with the High School Graduation Initiative summer transition program.

At the beginning of this month, a group of social workers at Check and Connect for the St. Louis Public School District came together with EnTeam to discuss collaborative learning methods and to plan for the few weeks ahead.

Participants of the professional development program spent the week getting to know each other through EnTeam activities, some of which can be translated to the classroom setting. The relationships they have developed over the course of the program will allow them to better collaborate during the length of the summer program.

We were also joined by several high school students who were nominated by principals, teachers, and social workers at each of the schools in the district. They will be assisting the teachers in classrooms this summer and will help facilitate and observe activities.

Students learned valuable skills which will help them with classroom management, such as speaking loud and clear to their peers. They were also introduced to a few EnTeam games. By gaining exposure to these games, these peer mentors will be able to facilitate activities in place of teachers.

This week, we tackled difficult topics, such as the benefits of collaborative learning, learning strategies, holding classroom meetings, tactful discussion following a tragedy, and combating discrimination in the classroom. These talented teens were able to thoughtfully articulate their thoughts.

peer mentors will make a great difference in the lives of these incoming high school students!