SAGE

Middleton High School's Sexuality and Gender Equality club (SAGE) created a new branch last school year; a middle school mentorship program! 

MHS Junior Hannah Nygard noticed last school year that many of her friends at the middle school level needed extra support, especially during online learning. She teamed up with a few friends and academic advisor Chundou Her, to develop a mentorship program between SAGE and GLAM, the Middle School level, LGBTQ+ support group. 

The two clubs began meeting online once a month to host Q&A sessions, play games, and discuss their personal experiences. The goal for the mentorship program has always been to build a safe space for students to have fun and express themselves, all while creating a sense of community. 

The mentorship program was already off to a great start, but now that students are back to in-person learning, Hannah and Chundou are excited to see a rise in student participation. "That was part of the reason that sparked the mentorship program. I knew some students didn't feel safe at home, so creating a spot where they could just come and talk to people is really important," said Hannah. Their first meeting for the year was back in early November. 
 
With the program now in full swing, they are also looking forward to utilizing their grant funds from the Middleton Education Foundation. They plan to use it to provide transportation for in-person events at the middle schools. They also hope to plan some larger-scale events later in the spring. 

"I think it was a really big move for all of us just to know that we not only have financial support, but overall support from our community," said Chundou.

Along with planning these events, they also intend on offering one-on-one mentorship for students down the road.

If not able to provide one-on-ones, they hope to get Middle school students paired up with a high school mentor to have someone to talk to about anything ranging from gender and sexuality to transitioning into high school. 

A special thank you to Hannah, Chundou, and the SAGE members for their hard work in creating a safe and fun space for LGBTQ+ students!