Regents Seniors Provide Mentorship in Summer Workshop

By Anne DeVries

This June, three rising senior girls from Regents School of Austin (RSA) invited younger girls from their school in K-2nd grade to spend four days with them, enjoying the simple pleasure of old-school play and friendship. Gracie Peterson, Lauren Benson, and Catie Harris spent months planning the 4-day workshop they have hosted for four years.

The three girls got the idea when they were in 8th grade. They reached out to the parents of the younger girls at the school, and the response was overwhelming. Most summers, they have had to hold a morning and an afternoon version of their program to accommodate the number of requests to attend. They expanded to offer a similar workshop during their Christmas vacation, providing parents with another opportunity for their young ones to spend time with the older girls, learn from them and build relationships.

When asked why she has spent so much of her high school downtime devoted to the planning and execution of the mentoring workshop, Lauren Benson replied, “I love being with the little girls. They are like little sisters. Not having had a big sister, I had had older girls in high school lean in when I was younger and make time for me, and I realized how important that was. I love spending time and being an example to them of someone they can look up to.”

The four-day workshop this summer ran from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Each day after the young ones arrive, the three leaders take the girls through a devotional focused on character-building tools from the bible, such as how to be a good friend and best face challenges. They also share with the girls stories from the bible that display lessons for life that they can apply each day.

Meticulous planning by the three seniors to keep the young girls active provides daily craft projects, active skill building like making ice cream from scratch, and a great deal of physical fitness. An age-appropriate pre-choreographed dance is taught starting on day one and performed for parents at the end of the week.

Helping the three seniors at this year’s workshop was RSA 5th grader Adeline. She attended the camp in her younger years but now has her sights set on continuing the program after her mentors leave for college. She happily arrived early each morning to prepare each day and will undoubtedly carry the torch well for the mentors she has learned from in her years attending the workshop. When asked what she liked best about the daily program, five-year-old Whitney responded quickly, “The teachers.” The focused efforts of the three seniors to their community will impact those they have mentored and provide a lasting template for a continued legacy.