Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Champions participants from W.C. Miller Collegiate will head into elementary school classrooms in the near future.

Champions is a cross-mentoring program developed to teach high school students the skills to discuss peer pressure, self-esteem, and saying no with fifth grade students. Having completed the necessary training this fall in Winnipeg, participating grade 11 and 12 students from W.C. Miller will give four lessons to students in Rosenfeld, Gretna, and West Park School in Altona in the new year.

Guidance Counsellor Denise Tonna says the elementary school students "really look up to the teenagers ... they listen to them and take it to heart. They get really excited when grade 11 and 12's come in, and they are not just mentors, but they become heroes to them." She notes the high school students come away from Champions with the realization of "how much of an influence they can be on the grade 5 students."

Only certain students are chosen to receive Champions training, requiring sponsorship from their teachers, high grades, and the ability to be relatable to elementary schoolers. Champions mentors must commit to abstain from drugs and alcohol to appear as positive role models outside of the classroom when in the community at-large.