On Saturday, January 11th, PPBHS hosted an event for the elementary students in grades K-5 called, “Movie and a Mentor ” sponsored by the Be On Point team. This event is a great way for parents to have an afternoon off and it’s only $12! Over 20 high school students volunteered their afternoon to play the role of a mentor to the younger students.  Children were able to enjoy the popular movie Toy Story 4 in the auditorium and in addition were able to partake in activities in the gym.

Students from both Nellie Bennett and Ocean Road attended the event.  The students were assigned a high school buddy first and were then put into small groups where they worked together on activities.  Sophomore Imirah Thrasher explained how she felt about attending this event with her sisters, “I always look forward to giving back to the kids…I can’t wait to spend time with my sisters!”

It has been a few of days since the event, and there has been a lot of positive feedback. Overall, over 500 elementary students attended which about 45 high school mentors. Students described the joy being able to spend time with the younger children and to be able to act like them! There is no doubt that both high school and elementary students believe this was a very fun and positive event.

Speaking with Mr. Johnson, the coordinator of the event, he wanted to extend his thanks to the volunteers for making the night such a success: “Thank you to all the elementary school students who registered and came to the event. Thank you to the high school mentors and the staff that volunteered their time for this awesome event… I encourage all high school students to come and be a mentor to elementary school children.”

The next Movie and a Mentor night will be held on Friday, March 27th, so keep an eye out for volunteer signups or talk to the Be On Point team for more information on how to get involved.