[Student Reporters] NHS's Big Brother/Sister Program

DaAe Kim / 10th Burbank High School

This year the National Honors Society (NHS) for high schoolers came to Burbank High School (BHS) for its very first year. The NHS is an organization whose members honor and emulate those in the community who demonstrate excellence in scholarship leadership service and character. Members are encouraged towards self development through involvement in school activities and within the community and encourage the qualities of NHS membership in other students as well. Today an estimated one million students participate in NHS within and outside of the U.S.

What finally brought NHS to BHS is its first and current president Sally Noh. Sally current Junior who transferred into BHS after freshman year brought her experiences planting its seed by opening the club for the new Spring 2010 semester. With a total of over forty members in its first semester the club is currently fleshing out ideas and programs to get its members involved within the school. One such program brought by Sally from her previous high school is the Big Brothers/Sisters program which involves older NHS members acting as individual mentors for the entire freshman class. "It's a buddy thing" says Sally. "You guide them and give them advice from what you've experienced." The goal is to encourage them to persevere through high school and to provide freshman students who otherwise are lost in a new environment with a guide who will teach them the ropes of high school.

Unless they have an older brother or sister many freshman students can be left at a loss and on their own when entering high school for the first time. Hana Park a freshman says "If I didn't already have friends in grades older than me it would've been nice to have an older student help me since they know better than I do." BHS is a very large school; with about 2500 students and around 600 to 700 students per grade lower grades and higher grades can easily become estranged. With one NHS member tied to every single incoming Freshman it eases the distance between the grade levels.

Because the club is new to BHS and the program requires meetings with counselors advisors teachers and a lengthy amount of time if the program is to begin it will not do so until the fall semester of 2010. And when it does it will not be an easy task. NHS currently has about forty members with an average of 600 to 700 freshmen coming in every year giving each member about fifteen or seventeen freshmen to be responsible for. However such a program will provide new incoming students with a source to ask questions and receive answers and someone to welcome them into high school life. We anticipate the Big Brother/Sister program to help strengthen the bond between upperclassmen and lowerclassmen and to help younger students be welcomed into high school life.