F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Cheyenne’s Central High School implemented a Student 2 Student program in March aimed at welcoming students transferring from other high schools.
Central High is not in league with more than 300 schools across the nation with an S2S presence.
The Central High program sent two staff members, Kelli Scheid, Central High counselor, and Esther Moratzka, Central High graduation outreach specialist, and two students, Aaron Kersh, Central High junior, and Rachel Pietsch, Central High sophomore, to training in San Antonio, Texas, given by the Military Child Education Coalition, which organizes the S2S program.
“We went to a training at the end of February,” Scheid said. “They took us through a series of activities and kind of told us what S2S is all about. We did some interactive ‘ice breakers’ all weekend about how to make kids comfortable, how to build a rapport, and make connections — that kind of thing.”
The majority of teenagers who live on base attend Central High School, and children of service members tend to transfer schools in the middle of the year, said Nancy Warner, 90th Force Support Squadron school liaison.
Transfer students might find a helping hand and a friendly face at school to be just what they need to get settled into a new duty station with their parents.
“The benefit of the S2S program is that it provides an opportunity for new students to immediately connect with other students when they transition from one school to another,” she said. “A lot of our military kids come into a new school, they don’t know anybody, they don’t have any connection, they don’t know about the culture, the campus. They don’t know about the community. These [S2S] students were trained in how to initiate all of that so the new student automatically has somewhat of a sponsor.”
Being around other S2S schools allowed the Central High participants to gain some tips and see how established programs run effectively, Scheid said.
“I wanted to be a part of it because I thought it would be a great chance to meet people and make new friends, and I’m always looking to try different things and do something new,” Kersh said.
The S2S participants immediately welcome new students, give them a tour of the school and make sure they eat with them at lunch, Scheid said.
While many transferring students are military dependents, the S2S program is intended to welcome all transferring children, Warner said.
Parents of incoming Central High students can call 773-5943 to arrange an S2S meeting for their children.