On Jan. 18, Peers Are Listening (PALs), visited the 7th grade Class Meeting to raise awareness and encourage bonding between PALs and Lower School students. PALs is a student-led support group consisting of juniors and seniors that puts on events and gives support to middle schoolers, as well as providing a safe space to give advice and address Lower Schoolers’ mental health.
The PALs Olympics event included splitting up the 7th graders into advisory groups and having them compete in a cup-stacking competition. The goal was to foster connection within advisory groups, while also providing general bonding for the grade. It serves as a reminder to Lower School students that the members of PALs are always there to support them, whether it’s a quick hallway wave or an in-depth conversation. PAL member Libby ‘25 helped to oversee this class meeting event with Stella ‘25.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the Lower Schoolers being together and having fun,” Libby said. “I also want to let them know that I’m here to talk because I truly want to be there for them.”
Another important outlet that PALs provide is the opportunity for Lower Schoolers to sign up for an individual PAL meeting, which helps to foster a more one-on-one connection. Kensi ‘29 has experienced immense support from PALs, specifically from her own assigned PAL.
“PALs has created a community for me because I always know that my PAL will be there for me whenever I need to talk about anything,” Kensi said. “It’s nice knowing that I have someone that will support me no matter what, and I love having someone in the older grades to give me advice.”
PALs is working to host more events in the second semester and gain more visibility among middle schoolers. Currently, there is much preparation in PALs for the iconic PALentines lunch event which will occur on Feb. 14 and will include themed treats and activities. PALs advisor Cristina Lopez-Green expressed her hope that the PALentines event will bring awareness to PALs as a resource for connection between middle and Upper Schoolers.
“The goal for PALentines is to spread kindness and to build a sense of community care, which goes along with our community standards here at Marlborough,” Lopez-Green said. “Moving forward, I would love to have more visibility of PALs within the school and this is a great opportunity to start!”
