The transitional period for incoming Prep and Form I students is aided by our Peer Counseling Program.  Each incoming student is paired with an experienced Form III or IV Peer Counselor to help smooth the way by answering questions, watching for adjustment difficulties and general support in the transition.

Peer Counselors are faculty-approved volunteers, usually possessing strong leadership qualities, who give their personal time to help to provide the friendly, caring atmosphere that our new students need, particularly in their first semester.  Counselors receive training through the Campus Minister and Guidance Counselor in the areas of active listening methods, reading body language, not diminishing a student's problems, establishing rapport, trust-building and the "dos" and "don'ts" of confidentiality.  Students completing the program are awarded a certificate of achievement at the Peer Counselor commissioning ceremony.  Peer Counselors are required to sign our Peer Counseling agreement as a guideline for operating within the spirit and expectations of the program.

The Peer Counseling program began in 1985 and has served as a long-standing model for the region of providing a nurturing, student-centered support and individual attention to the incoming students, creating the opportunities for connections and friendships throughout the student body.   The program was featured in an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2005 for its distinctive excellence.