By Tamara Afanasye, Mont’Kiara International School  Advisory Coordinator, Head of Subject for Language Acquisition, Head of Year for Grade 10 and Individuals and Societies/ English B Teacher.

The Power of Doing Something Well—Over Time

Some of the most meaningful learning experiences in schools don’t come from a single great idea; they come from revisiting that idea, year after year, and making it better each time. A great example of this is the Grade 10 and Grade 5 mentorship during the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition at Mont’Kiara International School (M’KIS).

Each year, M’KIS Grade 10 students, having just completed their International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) Personal Project, step into the role of mentors for Grade 5 students as they begin their IB Primary Years Programme Exhibition (PYPX) journey. This connection across the IB continuum creates a powerful sense of purpose: students who have just gone through a culminating experience are able to support those about to embark on one of their own.

In the first year, we focused on creating meaningful connections by grouping students based on shared interests. A Grade 10 student with a passion for filmmaking, for example, would work with a Grade 5 student exploring a similar idea in their PYPX. This allowed for more relevant conversations and authentic mentorship.

In the second year, we built on this foundation. We continued grouping students by interest, but added specific questions that the Grade 5 Team wanted us to focus on. This helped guide the conversations and ensured that the mentorship directly supported the needs of the younger students. Now, in our third year, the experience has evolved even further.

This year, the Head of Year for M’KIS Grade 10 met in advance with the M’KIS Grade 5 teaching team to reflect on past iterations and co-design the experience. Together, they identified an opportunity to move beyond mentorship into skill-building. M’KIS Grade 5 teachers shared the specific skills their students most needed as they prepared for the PYPX, and the M’KIS Grade 10 students volunteered, based on their strengths and Personal Project experience to design and lead short workshops.

What we’re seeing now is a program that has been refined through reflection, strengthened through collaboration, and elevated through intentional design. And most importantly, it’s a richer learning experience for both groups of students. This is the value of consistency over time. When we commit to an idea and give it the space to grow, we create opportunities not just to repeat success but to deepen it.

M’KIS students gained a meaningful learning experience through the mentorship initiatives. Anaaya, M’KIS Grade 10 student reflected  "If I were to describe this experience I would say that it not only felt special being able to be recognized for all the hard work we (Grade 10 students) put into the personal project, but it also made me realize that the 5th grader's PYPX is very similar to our personal project so I liked that our presentations could relate to them and relate to what we did during the Personal Project Fair. Also, the students were genuinely interested in what we had to say, so that also made it feel nice because sometimes when presenting, people don't always listen to you so I appreciated that and hope my presentation helped them!" 

Deaun, M’KIS Grade 10 student added “It was a very valuable experience for me, as I was able to reflect on what I did during my personal project. I also really enjoyed presenting to Grade 5 students, since they were good listeners and very enthusiastic! I'm so glad to hear that my session was helpful, especially since I know how overwhelming and confusing a long-term project like this can feel. Thank you for giving me this opportunity!