If you are a student in Middle School, you may stumble upon a situation where you need help. And maybe the best person who could give you advice is a student.
That’s where Peers Are Listening (PALs) comes in. Composed of a group of 11th and 12th graders, these students act as mentors and support to younger students.
PALs is a meaningful program that strives to foster a welcoming environment where all students feel safe .
“We’re about building community and showing the core values that PALs wants students to know,” PALS board member Luna Coyle ’25 said.
There are many advantages to having an older student guide you through the year or even just having someone to talk to. Although there may feel like a divide between Middle and Upper School students due to the difference in skirt color, there are undeniable similarities between the two age groups. PALs acts as a bridge connecting students of all ages and offers a way to bond over school.
“You’re gaining access to this resource that gives you advice,” Coyle said. “The program can help students in any way. It’s less so about receiving homework assistance and more about having a steady hand for support.”
PALs is currently working to improve communication and outreach as well as the consistency of meetings compared to last year. Even though the awareness of their work has increased on campus, the number of PALs participants has stayed the same over the past couple of years. There are usually only five students, old or new, who are involved each semester, according to Coyle.
This year, PALs is working to plan even more effective events and gatherings to further encourage students to get their own PALs pairing.
PALs plans to grow their organization by encouraging sophomores to join next year, and they believe that by the end of this year, more students will join PALS. Ultimately, the growth of PALs will benefit both Middle and Upper School communities as Middle School students gain trusted friends and Upper School students have an opportunity to give back to their community.
“You’re gonna look back on your Marlborough experience and say that you were friends with a really cool senior,” Coyle said.
