The Gaston High School Peer Helpers program received a generous donation from alumnus Jonathan Mason and Inline Electric Supply to help stock the school’s student success center.
Janet Wilson, business education teacher at Gaston High, has served as Peer Helper coordinator for six of the seven years the program has been part of the Etowah County School System.
“I have the opportunity to work with amazing students who want to better the climate of our school,” Wilson said. “Each Etowah County school has a student success center, a streamlined name for what many describe as a ‘care closet.’ There is a great need in our school for basic necessities. Students can’t learn if these needs are not met.”
The Peer Helpers’ mission is to show students that everyone can make a difference. Members serve as leaders who offer friendship, tutoring and mentorship to peers in need.
Jennifer McGriff, special programs and family support liaison for Etowah County Schools and area director for Neighborhood Bridges, helps support and promote peer helper programs throughout the county.
Neighborhood Bridges’ Kindness Council members have played a key role in creating student success centers on all 23 Etowah County school campuses. The centers are stocked with food and hygiene items and are discreetly accessible to students during the school day. Items can also be taken home for the weekend.
McGriff connected the Gaston High Peer Helpers with Mason, who helped fund the initiative for a second school year.
Mason, a Gaston High graduate, wanted to give back to his alma mater. Through Inline Electric Supply, Mason was able to provide supplies to restock both the high school and elementary student success centers for Wilson’s peer helper group and students across the campus.
Peer helper programs across Etowah County celebrated World Kindness Day on Nov. 13 and are now preparing for their seventh annual pajama day, which supports Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit organization that builds and delivers beds to children and families in need.
“It’s awesome to see students who have been helped by the Peer Helpers initiative want to turn around and become Peer Helpers to help others — pay it forward,” Wilson said.To donate to an Etowah County Peer Helper program or to become a business sponsor for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, contact Jennifer McGriff at jennifer_mcgriff@ecboe.org.
