Setting the Game Plan for Success

By Laila Golla

Fox Chapel is excited about a newly-developed program that grew from an idea proposed by recent graduate Zachary Sullivan. Zach attributed his success in high school to the mentorship and advice he received from his older brother who guided him on everything from study habits, to what clubs to join, to just getting through everyday life as a high school student. Knowing that not everyone has the benefits of an older sibling, Zach felt that developing a program in which older students could offer advice to younger students on a regular basis would result in increased confidence, resilience and achievement for all involved. Pair that with a few days of leadership training by Crisis Center North’s Peer-toPeer Empowerment/Coaching Boys Into Men program, and FC’s Students 4 Success was born.

Now that Zach has graduated, Students 4 Success is being led by junior Troy Susnak, with the help of faculty sponsor Anthony Griggs. Troy attended the leadership training in the fall with a group of peers and after a number of meetings, brainstorming and planning, they hosted their first outreach event at Dorseyville Middle School on March 13th. A group of 11 high school football team members invited the middle school football team members to a mentorship luncheon in the middle school library. More than 25 students participated in the event, and sports was not the topic of conversation at this meeting. For more than an hour, the high school guys spoke to the eighth graders about what they wished they had known before coming to high school and answered all of their questions, from how to manage time properly to what the best lunch offering is. The hope is that the group will increase its members next year and they will meet monthly to discuss topics relevant to achieving their goals in high school. As time passes, this year’s mentees will be expected to become mentors during their junior and senior year of high school and continue to pay it forward.