HEYO SCHOLARS GUILD!!!!! It is I, Vivian, your favorite member of the Journalism team! If I’m not your favorite, don’t tell me because obviously I am, how could I not be?
Ever heard of Guild Guides? You are now because I hath decreed it. Guild Guides is a program that one of the best seniors at SGA, Kelsey Howlett, and one of the most amazing teachers, Cathy Strange, has begun here at Scholars Guild. The whole purpose of the program is to connect the community at SGA and promote leadership skills in the upperclassmen involved in the project.
Kelsey Howlett says, “I want to help solve the gap between upperclassmen and younger classmen. I had a mentor in middle school and I want to give that chance to younger students here too---to have mentors as well.”
Izzie Parsons, a 10th Grader at SGA and a Guild Guide, comments on her reason to become a Guild Guide. “I know middle school can sometimes be a hard few years,” she says. “If I can be an encourager for one middle schooler, then that makes me really happy,” she finishes as she steals one of my Swedish Fish that she claimed earlier she didn’t like. Not bitter at all, no, of course not, where did you get that idea?
As you can guess, Mrs. Strange and Kelsey have worked exceptionally hard to get this partnership between students up and running, and they’ve done a magnificent job pairing the Guides with their amazing buddies. Recently, in December of 2019, the first-ever Guild Guides Christmas Party was held, and it was certainly a success, despite the fact we all nearly froze our faces off. Don’t be fooled by the sunny day in the background of the picture below, we were freezing.
There was a bunch of bonding time between the mentors and their mentees (I keep accidentally typing manatees, whoops), and connections were really formed through casual conversations and bonding time games. That’s Guild Guides’ goal, to connect the bridges and make SGA a real community more than it already is, and to inspire leadership skills in the participants.
Guild Guides is great! It’s given me as a Guild Guide myself a chance to really get to know a fellow student and underclassman (but it also makes me sound old) of SGA. News Flash: my buddy is the literal best, she once bought me a glowstick and I love glowsticks.
But did you know? We can all be Guild Guides. Sure, maybe you don’t have the official title, but anyone can say hello to a fellow student in the halls or give them a wave. Who knows? Maybe someone is going through a rougher time and you were the one who smiled encouragingly at them or ended them an ear. It doesn’t matter if you’re in 5th Grade or a 12th Grader, kindness from anyone goes a long way.
After all, we’re all sisters and brothers in Christ, aren’t we?
Photo credits to Marren Powellson, another one of our fabulous Guild Guides
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