This year at Norwalk High School, Mr. Walston, the B House housemaster, is in charge of the new and improved mentor/mentee program.

            The new program keeps students in their homerooms, with their homeroom teachers. It is designed to let the kids get to know the teachers and their fellow students in the classroom.

“They took a survey of our kids and only 70% felt they could talk to someone at the school, other than a guidance counselor.” Mr. Walston shares of the reason the program was introduced in the first place.

            “It is too soon to say whether or not it is working out as planned. I have been around to a few homerooms and they seem to have been interacting well, and I’ve been to others where they haven’t been interacting as well.”

            While Mr. Walston, Ms. Engle and Mr. Gaspar work hard to create agendas for each mentor/mentee session, feedback from the students themselves has been both good and bad.

            “The mentor/mentee program isn’t necessary…it takes away time from school and most teachers don’t even talk about anything we care about,” Jason Cotaling (’12) said of the program.

            “The idea of writing an agenda to fit everyone is crazy because not everyone is going to be happy with what you do.” Says Walston of the negative feedback some students have given.

            However, not all students think the program is pointless.

            “I think it would be better if we weren’t in our homerooms. We all already know each other,” says Oliver Viera (’11), when asked if he feels he gets to know his peers better.

            The student’s decisions on the “new” program vary, but some more exertion will allow both mentors and mentees to connect and discuss on a higher level.