This October, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) students began guiding younger mentees through the newly introduced Big Brothers Big Sisters Club. The program matches high school mentors with local middle schoolers with the goal of providing extra academic, social, and emotional support — and having a lot of fun along the way.
Currently, the Big Brothers Big Sister Club is open to middle schoolers from Oak Bluffs School, but the club’s advisors hope to expand the program next year, offering availability to students at all Island middle schools.
Sheryl Taylor, who chairs the MVRHS physical education department and works in the Student Affairs Office, is the club’s advisor. She explained that the program was brought to the school by Kim Garrison, the all-Island behavioral health coordinator for initiatives in schools.
“There has been a program on Nantucket, and the [Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod and Islands] program was looking for a second location,” Ms. Taylor said.
One of the club’s members, Senior Samilly Guimaraes, remembers first learning about the club at lunch one day. “There was a tabling event at the school last year. And I and my two closest friends saw the table and read about [the club]. And we were like, ‘We definitely want to get into this,’” she said.
Club meetings take place every Thursday afternoon at the high school, where “Bigs” and “Littles” spend time together in a group setting before starting individualized activities.
“We meet them at the bus [stop] and … we go to the Culinary Dining Arts Room. We’ll have snacks, play a game with our Littles, and then we all spread out and you and your Little can play whatever game you want, or you can collaborate with another group,” Samilly said.
Samilly added, “My Little and I are really close to each other already. I hope that I can see her after the program as well, and be someone that she can always come to.”
The Big Brothers Big Sisters program was created to support middle schoolers in the community who might benefit from extra attention or guidance. Families can sign their children up to be paired with one or two high school mentors, providing them with a “brother”or “sister” for consistent support and friendship.
“I think the main focus of this program is to have kids come and stay with us, and we’re able to provide them support, attention, and just care for them as if we were, like, literally their siblings,” Samilly said.
Most of the mentors are seniors, but the club hopes to bring in students who can stay with the club longer.
“We are looking, ideally for sophomores and juniors, so the kids can have consistent mentors over a few years. We have a lot of seniors this year. [To get involved], pretty much you just have to have the time and be willing to make that connection happen,” Ms. Taylor said.
Senior and club member Harrison Lazarus discussed the qualities of a good mentor: “A bit of leadership, but really just a knowledge of how to connect with someone much younger than you. I guess a certain brotherly quality, too, is probably most important,” he said.