Peer Group Connection
Making Freshmen Feel Not Just Welcomed But Apart Of Something Bigger.
Peer Group Connection (PGC) is a year long high school leadership program designed to build caring and safe learning communities where diversity is respected and celebrated. Older students are trained to be Peer Leaders and work with their own small group of freshmen. Some objectives of the PGC program include, increasing students' sense of belonging and attachment to school; improve students' skills in communicating effectively with peers and adults; increase students' skills in help-seeking, goal-setting, and decision-making; and support/improve students' positive school-related behavior.
Sonja Williams
" My name is Sonja Williams and I am originally from Boston, MA. I graduated from Temple University in Philadephia, PA with a Bachelors of Business Management in Risk Management and Insurance. After a few years of trying to find my way, I ended up working at a boarding school in North Philadelphia. Years later, I decided to pursue my Master's Degree in School Counseling from New York University. Currently, I am a Guidance Counselor at The Metropolitan Soundview High School. My experience working with students for the past 11 years reminds me everyday of why I chose to do this type of work. I enjoy working with students outside of the classroom and seeing them develop over their four years in high school. As an Advisor for the Peer Group Connection (PGC) program, I am able to help older students work with younger students to build a cohesive and collaborative student body, where students feel safe and comfortable to learn."
Lauren Ortiz-Mountcastle
My name is Lauren Ortiz-Mountcastle and I am exciting to co-teach Peer Group Connections with Ms. Williams. In addition to PGC, I am the ENL Coordinator for MSHS and will be working very closely with the 10th grade team. I attended SUNY Cortland and earned my Bachelor's Degree in Childhood Education with a concentration in Spanish. I loved SUNY Cortland so much, I continued studying there and earned my MSED in Teaching English As A Second Language. This is my 7th year at The Metropolitan Soundview High School and I am excited to work with my fellow staff members to continue to mold and shape our school.
