Freshmen Meet with Peer Connectors

by Eli Rosenthal, SSLI '29

Last Wednesday, freshmen attended the second meeting with their Peer Connectors, five seniors tasked with mentoring the freshmen during their transition into high school. The students speak about different topics at each meeting, and the focus of this meeting was productivity and time management.

The conversation mainly consisted of when to do your work and how to keep track of assignments. Seniors also emphasized having healthy sleep habits, and they gave the freshmen tips on how to stay focused while doing work.

The Peer Connectors and freshmen continue to form friendships and bonds that began at retreat. (M. Resnick)

Freshman Sam Mitzner said he wishes he knew how to get his work done more efficiently before, and that he learned at the meeting how to “get your work done as you go,” rather than procrastinate. He also mentioned how the conversational nature of the meetings allows him to “actually have a relationship” with the Peer Connectors, not just an instructional connection.

Freshman Ilan Honig said that his most important takeaways from the meeting were to write homework down when it’s assigned so you don't forget and to “get a planner to put your homework” and tests in. He also mentioned Google Classroom as a resource to help remember assignments, and advised to “check the calendar every day [to] see if there's something new.”

Peer Connector Emma Roth said she likes how the meeting is a conversation because “it doesn’t feel forced, and [she thinks] the freshmen enjoy getting to voice their opinions” rather than just “sitting in a lecture-type meeting.” At the most recent meeting, Roth emphasized to her freshmen the importance of starting yourself “on a good schedule with sleeping and getting your work done in a timely fashion,” as that seriously affects your high school experience as students begin to receive more and more work.

Señora Cahn, the director of the Peer Connector program, said that the most important skill for Peer Connectors is “to be great listeners.” Cahn said that this month’s meeting was also an important “check-in on [the students’] emotions, with everything going on in the world” often taking a mental toll on students.

Cahn said the meeting was an opportunity for learning, but it also was good to “just to see how everybody's doing.”

Eli Rosenthal is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since October 2025. Eli is currently a freshman at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: erosenthal29@schechterli.org.