Do you remember what it was like in elementary school? Lots of drama, social problems, and you had to face many challenges in your classes. Imagine if you had an older friend to help you with these obstacles. Someone to be there for you, to comfort you, make you laugh, and help you find joy even in the most devastating times in your life. For some people, that someone is a PAL. 

PALS is a class for juniors and seniors at West High School, and it stands for Peer Assistance Leadership. English teacher, Kerri Barnhouse, has taught PALS for the last couple of years. The students in PALS class help the younger students with problems they are facing, ranging from academic problems to personal challenges. 

“The goal of the program is that the high school peer assistant leader mentors younger kids in the feeder schools,” Barnhouse said. “Any elementary and then Northwest Junior High that feed into West High. The goal is to work with and mentor kids in those younger grades.” This year, the mentors are helping out at Northwest Junior High, Coralville Central, and Weber. 

“The goal is to build a relationship. That can be done in lots of different ways. Some kids are much more open to it than others, some kids are more resistant.” Barnhouse said. “Some of the kids are struggling. They’re struggling with all kinds of things. Some struggle academically, some struggle emotionally, some struggle socially, making friends and things like that.” 

The students help the kids by simply just going for a walk, talking, and spending time together. When they play board games together it helps with conversations, build relationships, and helps the kids feel more comfortable. The mentors also help their kids with homework and academics. 

Barnhouse’s students help out at West one day a week. The mentors mostly work with ELL students and they go to different classrooms to help tutor. They go to the regular success center, a reading strategies class, a typing keyboarding class, and the Best Buddies classroom.

“We try to go to as many different classrooms and get them working and interacting with kids every day as much as they can so that they’re learning what it’s like. They’re learning about people. They’re learning about themselves,” Barnhouse said. 

Barnhouse took the class over from Mayra DeVries two years ago when she found out DeVries was moving over to Liberty High School. DeVries founded PALS. “Ms. DeVries always inspired me,” Barnhouse said. “She approached me and asked me if I would be willing to take it over and I was very happy to do it because I just think it’s a really great program and I love her and she’s such an inspiring person.” 

Barnhouse has plenty of favorite memories in PALS class, but she especially loves when she sees the students hugging and begging their PAL not to leave. “Some of my favorite memories are when we walk into a building and students come running across the hall and throw their arms around their high school PAL.”

One previous student in Mrs. Barnhouse’s class is Sarah Moenning ‘19, who graduated from West High School last year. Moenning joined PALS class in 2018 during her senior year. “I saw the seniors of the grade ahead of me in PALS and I thought it was interesting and I thought I should join it and see what it was about.” Moenning said. 

One of Moenning’s favorite memories from PALS is the Best Buddies basketball event and Thanksgiving potluck. The students from PALS and Best Buddies play a basketball game against the teachers at West High School. During the Thanksgiving potluck, everyone brings food and the Best Buddies as well as the students from the elementary schools come to West. 

Moenning had three different students she mentored. A second-grade girl from Weber, an eighth grade girl from Northwest, and a sixth-grade girl from Coralville Central. “They’re all different in their own way,” Moenning said. 

Moenning helped her students out in different ways. Normally, with her second-grade girl from Weber they did her math homework. Typically, when they finished studying they would play board games together. With her student from Coralville Central they would talk about how to solve sixth grade drama problems. Moenning and her eight-grade student mainly just focused on academics. Moenning feels her students felt more comfortable with her as time went on.“In the beginning they wouldn’t even really talk to me. I’d be the one talking the whole time. Then they would start asking me questions,” Moenning said. 

Moenning feels that PALS class has taught her a lot of amazing skills and things to know about life. “I learned that everyone should be kind. I learned how to communicate with kids younger than me, how to teach subjects, and how to solve problems that may arise in school.” 

Lauren Schafer ‘20 is currently taking PALS. Schafer has fourth grade students at both Weber and at Coralville Central. At Northwest, Schafer works in the avid room. In the avid room they focus more on school and academics. “It’s for kids who are first generation going to be in college, so we help them with schoolwork and telling them about what High School is going to be like and different things,” Schafer said. 

Schafer’s student has taught her everyone comes from a different home life and background. PALS class has helped her think about the struggles other kids go through that may not have been similar to when Schafer was in elementary school or different problems she faced.

Schafer likes that on Mondays, during PALS class they reflect and discuss what they can do to help their students. “If there are difficult situations happening with our students we talk about it and discuss what we can do next week to help them more. That’s really helpful to reflect on what we’ve done that week,” Schafer said. 

Schafer is currently taking a pre-education Academy at Kirkwood and is looking into a potential major of elementary special education. She feels that it has been really helpful to spend time with kids and that PALS class is a really good experience. 

Lila Terry ‘20 had Barnhouse as her British Literature teacher junior year and always heard Barnhouse talking about PALS. She became interested in the class and decided to give it a shot. 

Terry’s student is a fifth grade girl. Terry and her student sit together, draw animals, talk, eat lunch, and play at recess together. “She is very smart, one of the smartest fifth graders I’ve ever met, and she’s very kind,” Terry said. 

Terry feels that her connection with her student is getting stronger and stronger. “I feel we’ve kind of broken down the awkwardness, we’re starting to get to know each other, we’re starting to talk about things that you wouldn’t talk to someone you have just met about,” said Terry. 

Terry’s student has taught her plenty of things. Terry said, “My student taught me that there’s a right and a wrong way to draw a chameleon. I was doing it the wrong way, so I learned how to do it the right way. That the coolest Halloween costume ever is a phoenix from Harry Potter.” 

Terry learned that it is really tough to be an elementary school student and to deal with everything they are dealing with. Terry learned that they are very strong kids. “There’s challenges but they’re not letting them hold them back,” Terry said. PALS is a great class that benefits both the PAL and the student.