For many freshmen, starting high school can be overwhelming, presenting new challenges like a bigger campus, more homework and shifting social dynamics. This year, they are also navigating a new state-wide phone ban. It is a wave of change during an important phase of personal development.
To help them ease into this transition, Central has reimplemented its mentoring program, which assigns senior mentors to the 24 freshmen Eagle Times, comprising of 587 freshmen total.
The program, organized by Freshman Academy leads, aims to familiarize students with the high school experience by allowing exploration opportunities within the pathways. During their freshman year, students select a pathway, a series of career-based classes, from 16 unique options.
The program started in 2022 but paused for a year when Freshman Academy Lead Martha Omar took over. However, it has now returned again under Omar.
The mentors are easy to spot around Central, as they’re outfitted in distinctive purple T-shirts. They will be expected to wear these shirts during all mentoring activities.
“The reason that it went away was the year that I took it over, I didn’t incorporate the mentors as much in the freshman activities. So, I did additional activities, and it was too much. I had too much on my plate, so I didn’t keep it going the following year. And then this year, I was like, no, this is a really cool, essential community building program. And so I handed out applications,” Omar said.
One of the new changes implemented by Omar was increasing the program’s selectivity: out of the 100 seniors that applied, 56 were accepted.
Omar highlighted the seniors’ diverse involvement at Central, “They’re like athletes, and in clubs, and cheerleaders, and step members, and soccer, and football, and tennis, and student council members, and NHS, and they’re in O-Club, and in HOSA and all the different things,” Omar said.
This year, Omar is integrating seniors directly into existing freshmen activities instead of creating separate mentor-mentee events. The mentors will join freshmen on field trips to Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the Omaha Public Library, the Orpheum Theater, and even the circus.
Senior mentors were also present at the Freshman First Day to give tours. “Our mentors showed us around. They taught us how to get involved. They gave us a few examples of what clubs to get in and stuff. We did a whole lot of walking. Went to the mess. We did the assembly. Overall, it was pretty fun,” freshman Khalid Issa said.
Two to three seniors are assigned to each freshmen Eagle Time, which they visit a few times a month for advice-giving sessions.
For seniors, the program offers them the opportunity to help out the newest generation of Eagles. “Each of them identified within their application that they had a deep desire to be a part of making someone’s freshman experience as good or as better as their own. It’s this intrinsic motivation to just make someone else’s life better,” Omar said.
Senior mentor Jasmin Gutierrez Garcia joined the program because she wanted to help give students a freshman experience as enjoyable as her own, a common trend Omar identified during the application process. “It’s this intrinsic motivation to just make someone else’s life better,” Omar said.
Many senior mentors identify with freshmen, such as Gaby Antunez, who noted that freshmen are reluctant to approach teachers for help may find it easier to speak to fellow students with similar experiences.
The program’s field trip to Creighton University will occur at the end of September. The next upcoming mentor event will take place on Oct. 8 during Eagles Take Flight Day. Seniors will learn how to ride the Metro buses and join freshmen in a literacy access activity at different branches of the Omaha Public Library.
