Number of Participants: 32
Hours Donated: 5
Value of Time Served: $1,352
Event Type: Children & Youth
Sport: Softball
Date: May 16, 2022
Location:
Shrewsbury High School
Holden Street, Shrewsbury
MA
About:
Shrewsbury Softball Big Sister/Little Sister is mentorship program between Shrewsbury High School’s varsity team and Oak Middle School. We started the program back in 2019 as it was the inaugural season of middle school softball. Unfortunately, we lost the last two years of running it due to COVID.
Varsity players take the lead and coordinate all planning and preparation for events. Each Varsity player is “paired” with a MS athlete as their “Little Sister”. We try our best to do a group activity once a week, but with scheduling conflicts it can be difficult. A couple weeks ago we ran our first “joint practice” with the MS. Varsity players paired with the “Little Sisters” and ran them through a typical varsity team practice. Last week, Oak MS attended one of our games and this week we will plan to attend one of their games. We will plan at least one other “event” and then finish the year in June with Blue and Gold program-wide intersquad scrimmage which will include all MS, Junior Varsity, and Varsity players.
The purpose of this program is to create a true family culture across our softball program. We wanted to find a way to get MS athletes connected with the HS program, teach them about our cultural expectations, and generate excitement to come to the HS and join our program. So far, the feedback has been outstanding! MS athletes truly look up to our HS kids and it has been rewarding to see the mentor relationships later turn to teammates and friendships.
We have 14 on the varsity roster and there are 18 on the MS team.
Here is a quote from Sophomore Bea Miller (who lead the organization of this year’s program).
“The Big sister/little sister program has been an experience I’ve seen from both sides. As the ‘little sister’ on the middle school team and a ‘big sister’ now on the varsity team I’ve been able to grow so much. The program embodies the culture of Shrewsbury softball as it goes beyond any singular person. It’s a mentorship, but it’s also a team experience. Everyone is there to support everyone, the program is supportive, uplifting, and creates a family across the program.”