Older students at Upper Arlington's two middle schools are welcoming incoming sixth-graders as peer mentors for the 2026-27 school year.

The district announced the program Sept. 2. At Jones and Hastings middle schools, seventh- and eighth-grade volunteers return to campus before the rest of the student body arrives for a dedicated sixth-grade day. Mentors lead games, give building tours and help new students open their lockers.

"Most of all, the mentor program is to help the kids, the new sixth graders, just have somebody they can rely on when they need to talk to somebody," said Brad Barwick, mentor coordinator at Jones Middle School.

Tina Farbizo, school counselor and mentor coordinator at Hastings Middle School, said some students arrive on sixth-grade day visibly overwhelmed. Mentors step in to reassure them. Farbizo said parents have reported that their children could not wait to come back to school the next day because they felt a connection.

The mentors draw on their own memories. Roan D., a Jones mentor, said the welcome he received as a sixth-grader motivated him to sign up.

"I wanted to be a mentor because the feeling that I got being a sixth grader … just being welcomed and included … really made me want to do the same to younger students," Roan said.

Ella V., a Hastings mentor, said she remembers being nervous about getting lost and now gives thorough building tours to help new students feel more confident.

Sixth-grader Sawyer R. already has a verdict on the program's most valuable lesson: how to open a locker. Charlotte D., another sixth-grader, said she had worried about not knowing anyone in her classes. The mentor program changed that.

"But then you can get to meet new people and it's not scary," Charlotte said.

Jones has about 733 students and Hastings about 753, according to district records. Together the two schools serve roughly 1,486 of the district's 6,669 students across 10 schools.

Barwick and Farbizo said mentor support continues throughout the school year, giving each sixth-grader a reliable older peer to turn to as classes progress.