Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to “creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth,” according to their website. The organization’s chapter in Franklin County serves
as a mentorship resource for the county’s youth, consistently including “Bigs” from Deerfield Academy and Northfield Mount Hermon. At Deerfield, rising juniors who are interested in becoming a “Big” are required to complete an application and participate in an interview to demonstrate their interest and commitment to spending two hours weekly with their “Little.” After in-person meetings between Bigs and Littles were suspended due to the COVID pandemic from the winter of 2020, the beloved service program and its Littles made their comeback on campus on April 1st, 2022.
Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters at Deerfield Academy and College Advisor Erin Hutchinson said that the program provides an opportunity for the Bigs to “interact with people outside of Deerfield and stay connected with young people,” making the Academy feel “less like a bubble.” When asked about how the Littles are benefited by the program, Mrs. Hutchinson
said the Littles get “someone who’s not part of their family to look up to.”
Zoe Matias ’23, a current Big Sister, said her experience with the Littles is “so valuable and fun,” and that it is a “good distraction from challenging junior year classes and APs.” Matias said she was convinced to apply when she saw Angela Osei-Ampadu ’21 with her Little on campus.
This sentiment was echoed with Jamie Weymouth ’23 who shared that he was also influenced to apply by a former Big Brother, Will Savage ’20, his freshman year proctor, whom he looked up to and “set as a role model.” Weymouth, a current Big Brother, said he believes the program allows for the Littles to be “exposed to a greater community, and have a role model.”
The visibility of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Deerfield’s campus amongst peers and across grade levels provides opportunities for others to see how they can be more involved in the local community. As a program, Big Brothers Big Sisters centers around the formation of meaningful relationships and current Bigs seem to have been drawn to volunteering after benefiting from similar sentiments. On Fridays Bigs and their Littles can often be seen running across the campus as well as contributing to a fun atmosphere in the dining hall.
Mrs. Hutchinson encourages current sophomores to “definitely apply to the program if you like children, and can be patient and understanding.”
Matias said that “it might be an inconvenience to set aside time on Friday evenings, but the relationships you build with the Littles are worth the time.”
Sage Piekarski ’23, a current Big Sister, also expressed the amount of value the relationship between her and her Little holds. She said she and her Little have similar interests, and that “they grow each others’ interests together.”
The Deerfield chapter is one of the oldest ones to exist for a high school and students are encouraged to apply in addition to exploring the many resources available on Big Brothers Big Sisters website. The many Deerfield students that are a part of the program is a testament to the community values emphasized at the Academy. Mrs. Hutchinson’s advice to future Big Brothers and Big Sisters is to “be prepared to have a deeper connection with your Littles than expected.”