The Indianola High School has instituted a program to help acclimate and give advice to younger students in a new environment as they transition to high school, the Mentors in Violence Prevention or MVP program. Senior Liam Kelso and juniors Camryn Geiger and Kennadie Heckinger are a part of the program this year, and they tells KNIA News it not only helps the younger students feel more comfortable in school, but it gives them confidence as they move on past high school.

Camryn Geiger
“I can just say my social speaking skills and just being comfortable with others has grown so much. I want to be a teacher, so being able to stand in front of a class and mentor them has been awesome for me.”

Kennadi Heckinger
“I want to be a teacher as well, and it’s nice to be able to get in front of a class and be able to direct them and speak and teach them things. It’s nice to get that experience before I go to college and eventually get an actual job.”

Liam Kelso
“It’s easy to talk in front of different audiences now that we’ve been able to talk to kids that are three or four years younger than us. And you can implement this into your actual life, if you are talking to someone and they have a problem, and you’ve done a lesson about it, you can talk to them about how to get out of it.”

Mentors in Violence Prevention also helps protect younger students from bullying, not only physical but with cyber-bullying as well.