At Hershey Public Schools, we believe in fostering meaningful relationships that support both academic and personal growth. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Panther P.A.W.S. (Peer Assistance With Support)—a mentorship program designed to connect older students with younger peers, creating a strong and supportive school community.
The end goal of Panther P.A.W.S. is to have the following grade levels meeting regularly:
📌 12th graders mentoring 6th graders
📌 11th graders mentoring 5th graders
📌 10th graders mentoring 4th graders
📌 9th graders mentoring 3rd graders
📌 8th graders mentoring 2nd graders
📌 7th graders mentoring 1st graders
Each month, students will meet for 30-60 minutes to engage in fun activities, meaningful conversations, and relationship-building exercises. While teachers will oversee, this is a student-led initiative where high school and junior high students take the lead in mentoring, guiding, and supporting their elementary mentees.
🚀 Panther P.A.W.S. Trial Run a Success! 🚀
Today, we kicked things off with a trial run, pairing up 12th graders with 6th graders to test out the program—and it was a huge success! Students worked together in an escape room challenge, solving puzzles, cracking codes, and deciphering clues in a fun, interactive activity. This event was organized by Mr. Connell, 6th Grade Teacher at HPS, and was an exciting first step in launching this mentorship program!
We can’t wait to expand Panther P.A.W.S. to include all the planned grade-level pairings in the coming months. The smiles, teamwork, and connections we saw today are just the beginning of something truly special!
🐾 Go Panthers! 🐾 #PantherPAWS #MentorshipMatters #BuildingConnections #HPSPanthers
