PALs stands for Peer Assistance and Leadership; Miss Sasha Rudow is the advisor. Students work to mentor younger children that need a little extra help in school.

Younger children are paired up  upperclassmen to give them a buddy to help them through the school year.  Young students can lean on and receive more support.

“The PALs program is open to anyone who likes working with children,” Rudow said.

The program requires the PAL to be able to get to the feeder elementary schools–Ross, Gilmore, Bauerschlag and Hall–by driving themselves. If the student is unable to drive to the schools on their own, the PAL will have PALees at Creekside.

PALees have goals for the year, such as assistance with communication, math, or reading. The PALs help meet the goals of the child by the end of the year. Visits to PALees are 30 minutes long, focusing on those subjects by making a game to help meet the PALees’ goals.

“Meeting my first PALee was kind of awkward, the first visit always is, but the kids eventually warm up,” Brianna Verden (11) said.

The PALs make visits on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, every day seeing a different child.

PALs are also involved in service projects. Upcoming projects include the Anderson Boot Walk, where students will support finding a cure for cancer.  Samaritans Operation Christmas is another upcoming community project where PALs fill boxes with toys and send them to children in a third world country.

Being a PAL is about being a friend to a child who needs a friend.