The Peer Leadership program at Berkeley Carroll is a unique opportunity for students to have a direct and palpable impact on the quality of community life in the Upper School.
Meeting on a weekly basis over the course of a year as mentors with a small group of freshmen, high school seniors help ease the transition into high school by providing a forum where students of different ages and backgrounds can build friendships based not just on the respectful recognition of differences but on an appreciation for their common interests and goals.
The senior peer leaders provide classes that focus on building relationships, fostering collaboration, increasing self-confidence, developing problem solving skills and acquiring decision making strategies.
Senior Peer Leaders, who go through a rigorous application and selection process in the spring of junior year, begin their training with a week-long retreat before the start of school in August. During the school year the Peer Leaders meet as a group with the Peer Leadership faculty advisor and are observed and evaluated by the advisor throughout the year.The small group meetings with 9th graders, however, are led strictly by the seniors, who are ultimately in charge of planning and shaping each lesson. Each senior keeps a detailed teaching journal, makes weekly lesson plans, and leads demonstration lessons on pertinent adolescent topics for the rest of the peer leaders on a regular basis. The seniors act as role models to the freshmen, and use their enhanced leadership skills and problem-solving abilities to help maintain a respectful and safe community within the school.
Please read about our document on Peer Leader Selection Process to understand the process.