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Winder Elementary’s 'Bullpup Buddies' mentoring program credited with improving student engagement
Summary
Principal Andrea Neer described an in-house mentoring program that paired 18 students with staff mentors last year and reported gains in engagement, confidence and fewer discipline referrals.
Andrea Neer, principal of Winder Elementary School, presented the school’s Bullpup Buddies mentoring program to the board on Sept. 2, describing it as “one of the ways that we ensure every student has a caring adult at school who knows them, believes them, and holds them accountable to be their very best.”
Neer said Bullpup Buddies matches teachers and staff with students for the school year; pairs set academic, behavioral or social goals and meet weekly. She told the board the program launched the prior year and matched 18 students with mentors. Neer said those students “gained not just support, but pride in their own growth,” and presented anecdotal results: increased confidence, fewer office visits for some students and stronger staff morale.
Neer described specific examples, including an EIP teacher, Miss Durkett, who worked daily with two frequently disciplined students and “built trust with those students and their families. Now their office visits are celebrations, not consequences.” The principal told the board the school plans to expand Bullpup Buddies, deepen family connections, and “explore a peer buddy system so older students may mentor younger ones.”
Neer framed the program as aligned with district belief statements and said the school will continue the work to foster belonging and accountability. The board acknowledged the presentation and moved on to other agenda items; no formal board action on Bullpup Buddies was recorded in the transcript.
