Peer to Peer is a new program at the Clear Creek Amana High School this year. You might be asking yourself, What is Peer to Peer? It is a program where two students, called Links, are chosen to be with a peer in one of their classes. Peer to Peer is such an amazing program where students with IEPs in class have that extra support system and most importantly they gain a friendship. My peer is Paul and I have Eastern Cultures with him, and to be honest, it is the highlight of my B day.
I first interviewed Ms. Dalmasso who is one of the leaders in this program. I asked her four questions. I started with asking her what was Peer to Peer in her own words and her response was very helpful for people that might not know what Peer to Peer is. “Peer to Peer is a program to bring students together in classes, build friendships, and promote positive social interactions among students,” stated Noelle Dalmasso. I think that was a very good way to explain the program. “My hope for the Links in this program is it gives them a new appreciation and compassion for other humans. My hope for the Peer students is they feel more supported and happy at CCAHS as a result of working with their Link. My hope for both groups is they have a new sense of appreciation for school.” If you don’t know what a Link is, it is a student that is grouped with a peer for a class. I also asked her how she picked the Links for this program. She said, “We don’t have a set process yet for picking Links, so this year Mrs. Busch, Mrs. Kite, and myself just handpicked students we thought would be a good fit to get the program started. If any students are interested, please reach out to one of us.” So if you would like to join the program, please email Mrs. Kite, Mrs. Busch, or Mrs.Dalmasso. As to why she decided to start this program at the CCAHS, she said, “It was presented to us by the administration, who was very excited to start it at our school. We sat in on the initial meeting with them, learned all about the program, loved the concept of the program, and took the lead.”
Gwen Engle is a fellow peer in the program, who also found a passion in helping. “I joined because I enjoy helping people and being someone’s company. My Link and class buddy is Trey Gerard, I have a core Algebra 2 class that I sit with him in on B-days 4th period.” When asked if there was anything that she was struggling with in the program so far, she responded with, “I haven’t been struggling with anything so far in the program but the pretest was a little harder because it is a math class above me.”
Lastly commented on what she liked about the program: “I like doing activities with my peer Trey who I am linked with. It also just gives me a whole new appreciation for others.”
