For the first semester of the 2021-2022 school year, the new THRIVE program has been facilitated by MFactor mentors in freshman study halls since August.
Guidance counselor Stephanie Krosnosky explained that the purpose of the new program is to help freshmen transition into high school and identify goals for them to accomplish during the school year.
“The THRIVE program is a series of modules that students go through and reflect on in terms of responsibility, attitude and goal setting,” Krosnosky said.
She explained that every other Friday, MFactor mentors come into the freshman study halls and talk about a specific topic, such as goal setting for the school year, which the students reflect on in their THRIVE journals. She said the mentors are students in the junior and senior classes.
Guidance counselor David Leland said that the Bexley Education Foundation provided the freshmen with a THRIVE notebook, and he mentioned that journaling is their main activity in the program.
The primary goal of the program is to prepare freshmen for a successful high school experience, Krosnosky explained. She said the program will help fulfill what was lacking in previous years.
“In the past, we introduced students to new people and showed where they can get academic help, but the THRIVE program allows for a greater focus on social and emotional learning,” Krosnosky said.
She added that she believes the THRIVE program is an asset to the freshman curriculum and that the change was necessary for them to be more successful in school.
Leland said he feels that the program will help students throughout high school and in their post-graduation endeavors, adding that he finds the journaling to be advantageous for the students and has high hopes for the program in the future.
“The goals are to introduce a new idea or concept that creates an opportunity for the students to challenge their own thinking,” Leland explained.
He said he is impressed with all of the hard work and time that the mentors have been dedicating to the program.
“The mentoring group we have this year is one of the best I have ever seen,” Leland said.
Junior Blake Simons is a mentor for the THRIVE program during the MFactor study halls. He mentioned that the program is helpful to the students and wishes this program was offered when he was a freshman.
“The program makes the freshmen feel more welcome at the high school and is a place for them to answer any questions they have,” Simons said.
He explained that he gives the students a specific prompt, which they then write about in their journals, mentioning that one prompt was based on dreams students had for the school year.
Freshman Amelia Avoli described the new THRIVE program as an enhancement to the freshman curriculum.
“It’s good for freshmen to be able to set their own goals, become better at being organized and learn how to stay on top of your work,” Avoli said.
She added that the program has also changed her perspective on how to succeed in high school.
“It has helped me identify what I need to focus on in order to perform to the best of my ability,” she explained.
Freshman Jack McMaster said he finds the program useful and is pleased that the program was implemented. THRIVE was incorporated into the first semester of freshman study halls, and it only takes up a small portion of the class, he said.
McMaster explained that the program has made the transition from middle school to high school smoother.
“THRIVE is a good reminder of how important goal setting is, and without the program I probably wouldn’t have set my own,” McMaster explained.
