By Isabella Ying
Any student who joins Lovett as a sophomore or junior knows the transition is indeed more difficult than it is for freshmen. From their social lives to academics, these students can feel like they’re left to fend for themselves. But this year, counselor Ms. Stadler decided that new-to-Lovett 10th and 11th graders have gone through these troubles for too long, and tasked seniors Corban Patterson and Emily Mansourian, former transfer students themselves, with expanding the long-standing PAL Program.
Last year, three of the four new students in the class of 2028 landed in Ms. Stadler’s advisory, and she “saw firsthand how they were kind of like sink or swim… and there was just nothing available for them,” she told me as we sat in her office in the counseling suite. Around that same time, she got to know Corban and Emily, and since her old school featured a similar transfer PAL program, she realized that the pair would make great PALs for older students.
Emily shared that sentiment, reflecting on her experience last year: “When I moved here, there were certain things I struggled with… and I didn’t really know always who to ask or who to go to,” she said. “The more I kept coming to Stadler and talking about my own experiences, the more I felt like there could totally be something else that we could be doing.”
Corban first came to Lovett as a sixth grader, then left in tenth grade, and eventually returned last year. “It’s very hard to come in as a new student, and it’s a whole new world,” he said. “The classes are different, a lot of times harder, and also the people are a very different niche [from] public schools.”
So when Ms. Stadler pitched the idea of a new PAL branch to them, it was a no-brainer for both students. And thus far, it’s proven successful. Although “it took a while to break the ice,” Corban said, “I think we’re going in and getting to know each other on a personal level.”
In the first few days, Emily realized that “no two people have the same experience… because even though we are all or have been transfer students, our stories are so different… we have so many different types of transfer students, no matter whether outgoing or introverted or outspoken.” She knows “that’s just so important to be aware of as PALS.”
Cyann Faulcon, a new sophomore, agreed with Corban that their first meeting was somewhat awkward, but her first impression was overall positive. “I thought they were nice to each other and to us,” she said.
She appreciates how, when she has any questions or concerns, “I know one senior or two seniors that will care and will most likely know the answer.” The PALs are “just very helpful to have one or two people to lean on,” she said.
Of the activities they’ve done, the students decided that the most effective ones so far were the “human knot,” and the ice-breaker where students threw a ball with questions written on it to each other and answered the question their thumb landed on. Emily reflected that the human knot was especially effective “because we physically had to get a little bit closer, and we were all just spread out around the room. Also, “a lot of people started laughing because it was so awkward and funny.”
The group meets every Thursday during advisory time. Corban appreciates being able to sit around together and having “the opportunity to help them in as many ways as we can.” While these meetings are similar to the Thursday mornings freshmen spend with their PALs, they’re also different because the transfer students come from different grades and advisories.
“Across different friend groups in the school, there’s no specific obligation for them to talk to each other,” Corban said. “Finding your way around that dynamic to get them to talk to each other and to talk to us is very different than what the freshmen have to do.”
Throughout these Thursday mornings and other activities the group has done together, Cyann has learned that “it’s okay to be stressed out about classes because everyone’s been there.” She thinks “it’s nice to hear it from someone who has been in this grade before and knows how it feels.”
Overall, the program has exceeded Ms. Stadler’s expectations. “Being a transfer PAL,” she said, means being “a PAL to kids that are almost the same age as you and from different backgrounds. Their job is really hard.” The PALs have gone above and beyond this year. They went on the freshman retreat, spending time with kids they don’t necessarily know or have connections with, and also attended the freshmen parent program.
In the future, the PALs and Ms. Stadler all hope the program continues. Some transfers in the younger grades have already expressed interest in being PALs, which Corban is excited about.
Ms. Stadler and the senior PALs also hope to set up a transfer parent event in the future, like the freshmen parent program that Corban and Emily attended. “The parents don’t get much attention either for their special needs in terms of being a transfer parent,” Ms. Stadler said. “So I think being a transfer parent is also hard. So whatever we can do to help them acclimate, they would love.”
Ultimately, Emily believes that this new program is just as crucial as the more traditional one. “Just because there’s less of them,” she said, “doesn’t make it any less important.”
