Peer Support launched its first meeting of the year after school Oct. 3. Students were provided with pizza and refreshments while awaiting announcements regarding group assignments at 5:45 p.m.

Peer Support meets every Monday after school and is a safe space where students discuss their issues while fostering new connections with students from other grades, according to Peer Support coordinator Max Thompson ’23.

Thompson said he enjoys providing social and emotional support to the community in ways he can’t outside of the club.

“Peer support, simply, is just a really unique place where all students can connect, talk about anything concerning them, and make friends with people they would never have gotten the chance to talk to outside of Peer Support,” Thompson said. “I don’t know any club or program like it.”

Thompson said he decided to become one of the four head coordinators after recognizing Peer Support’s effect on himself and the community.

“I have been able to see how influential peer support is on mental health, on friendships, and school-wide connections for the last two years,” Thompson said. “I knew I wanted to be a bigger part of it this year.”

Thompson said he sees the importance of Peer Support and the connections students make while attending the gatherings.

“I hope that people, whether they use it or not, leave Peer Support knowing they have a network of built-in friends and a space where they can be heard,” Thompson said . “It is really comforting to know that you have people looking out for you and listening to you, no matter what.”

Leo Craig ’24 briefly attended Peer Support but soon stopped due to transportation conflicts last year. This year, Craig said he can now drive himself home after the meetings and is excited to create lasting friendships in the club.

“Last year, I attended my Peer Support group at the beginning of the year but stopped after five or so because it was too difficult to get a ride home as a sophomore who couldn’t drive,” Craig said. “I signed up for Peer Support again to meet new people in my grades as well as other grades. I want to [leave] Peer Support with new friendships and [to have helped] support my group members through whatever they’re going through.”

Craig said Peer Support is helpful for students to learn from each other and manage their stress in a safe setting.

“The students benefit from Peer Support, a place to destress after a day of school,” Craig said. “[Peer Support is] an open and welcoming space where students can get whatever’s been bothering them off their chest and a place where students can feel part of a community [by] supporting their peers through challenges.”

Katherine Shen ’25, who attended her first meeting on Monday said she liked the meeting despite it being different than she anticipated.

“It was honestly very different from what I expected coming into it, but I really enjoyed the environment everyone created,” Shen said. “I was expecting it to be something like an advisory but it turned out really fun.”

Shen said after her first meeting, she thinks Peer Support is valuable to students and the community.

“I think the community greatly benefits from Peer Support because it connects people from all grades together,” Shen said. “Peer Support helps people meet and form bonds with others that might not have happened without it.”