On Unity Day, we celebrate building community through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. For many in RISD, it’s something lived out every single day. For the past 16 years, Pearce High School’s senior-led mentoring program, Starting Off Strong (SOS), has helped freshmen find their place, connect with their school community, and discover where they belong.
For most students, starting at a new school can feel like a whole new world. The first days of high school are unfamiliar, a little scary, and have a lot of unknowns. But for freshmen at Pearce High School, they don’t have to navigate it alone.
Before the first bell rings or they attend their first football game, they already have experienced high school seniors called Lifeguards in their corner! Through the Starting Off Strong (SOS) Lifeguard program, 104 seniors are carefully selected to serve as mentors to every incoming freshman. Lifeguards join in on 8th grade tours and meet incoming freshmen and are a familiar face right away. They walk them to class during the first week and introduce them to school traditions so younger students feel accepted and find their place in a new environment.
Throughout the year, during freshman Advisory, SOS Quads (groups of 4 senior Lifeguards), volunteer their time to lead freshman classes in lessons. With everything from “All about Homecoming Week” to “Ensuring Intent Matches Our Impact,” freshmen can ask questions of their peers, and seniors help guide their fellow students in whatever they need.
At heart, SOS Lifeguards not only help students navigate high school but also show the traditions and culture that make Pearce such a unique and unified community school. “For me, starting high school, and having four people that are trusted that I can talk to and can help me if I need anything, even helping with homework during advisory has been so good,” says freshman John Hanold. One of his Lifeguards, Kyle Lane, shares his own experience: “When I was a freshman, I really enjoyed having someone I could look up to and always had a smile on their face. Being that community for other people is what makes it worth it for me.”
The program has become a part of the school’s culture over the years and has helped students create connections and full-circle moments that often last beyond high school and graduation. Pearce Teacher and Coast Guard sponsor Alex Gandy, who is one of the original founders and leads the SOS Lifeguards, has seen the program grow year after year and the impact it has had. “For us, it’s almost like having a second group of faculty; they are trusted individuals who do everything teachers want to be able to do and truly connect with kids”. The five staff Coast Guards lead the seniors and guide lesson planning, select the students, and more.
Becoming a Lifeguard is a rigorous process that starts at the end of their junior year. The program draws hundreds of applications each year from seniors across many different kinds of backgrounds and high school experiences. From athletes. Pacesetters and cheerleaders, to bilingual students and National Merit Semifinalists, students are deeply involved, strong leaders, and committed to their peers. “One thing I think is really cool about Lifeguards is that every student can find someone they can relate to in some way with similar interests and can connect to. Our whole job is to make sure no one slips through the cracks,” says Lifeguard, Naomi Drazin.
“We’ve seen students who stay connected when they go to the same college, or need a recommendation when freshmen become seniors themselves and are applying for the program”, says Gandy. “We’ve even had new teachers come back to teach, who were once Lifeguards. The longevity of this program is something I don’t think I anticipated.”
For the seniors, the responsibility is one they don’t take lightly, and is a chance to give back to the school and program that shaped them. Though the program is time-consuming and involves hundreds of volunteer hours, Senior Tori Ham reflects, “Why would I miss being in a room with a hundred other students who care as much as I do?” Not only does it help freshmen, but it has helped seniors develop as leaders as they also step into college and next steps in life.
At Pearce, Starting Off Strong means more than knowing where to go on the first day or where to get a Homecoming mum. It’s knowing there is kindness, someone looking out for you, and that you are part of something. Thank you, SOS Lifeguards and Coastguards, for helping to make Pearce the ONE for the community!
