Coming into a new high school freshman year and being surrounded by 2,000 unfamiliar faces and taking new rigorous classes can be overwhelming.

But through the collaboration between Principal Matthew Ragone and the Student Services department, a new mentor program will relieve freshmen from the worry and stress that comes with entering a new environment.

The idea for a mentor program at Langley began last summer as a discussion among the administration, which was hoping to find a program that would allow every freshman to have a mentor to work with.

 “We’ve tried to reach out and use some county resources, but they said we couldn’t have a program to mentor all the freshmen,” said Ms. Jennifer Baldesare, a counselor and coordinator for the program at Langley.

The administration was determined to find a system to accommodate Langley’s needs and as it turned out, the independent organization Core Trainings fit the bill.

Both McLean High School and South Lakes High School have been using Core Trainings to better integrate their freshmen.

“We started this program seven years ago and it has changed the culture of our school.

We used to lack a ‘connectedness’ among students of different grade levels,” said vice principal Ms. Lindsay Trout, who coordinated the program at South Lakes. “Now our juniors and seniors are not only connected to our freshmen, but they are invested in the future of our school.”

On a monthly basis during the upcoming school year, groups of four to five freshmen will meet with a junior or senior mentor, discussing topics ranging from time management to participating in extracurriculars.

Upperclassmen taking part in this program will first undergo several training sessions, including one 3 ½ hour course in the summer, to allow this program to run successfully.

On top of the 150 mentors, a Board of Mentors, comprised of 13 juniors and seniors, will oversee the logistics of the program.

“The board is a big deal because it is the eyes and ears of the whole program,” said Ms. Georgia McKain, a counselor and coordinator for the program at Langley.

The board members and mentors were nominated by the faculty because they have exemplified leadership and are thought to be role models for the incoming freshmen class.

“We will try it out this year and see where we can improve, but we hope to continue the program in the future,” said McKain.