Let’s travel back in time to when school mainly consisted of eating Play-Doh, pouring tubes of glitter into your hair, and complaining about the two pages of coloring for homework. Now fast forward to high school when a normal school day consists of long lectures, trying your best to not fall asleep in morning classes, and breaking a new personal record for the time it takes to come up with the most educated-sounding response for a question you do not know the answer to.
Some lucky upper school students have the opportunity to bring these two worlds together. Ms. Crouse’s journalism class has teamed up one on one with Mrs. Kennedy’s Pre-K students, enjoying a much needed break from the regular school week to read, draw, and play with their “buddies.”
Students from both classes love buddy time. For the high schoolers, it allows them to get out of the classroom and do something fun during the grueling school day, while the pre-K students have the opportunity to build relationships with upperclassmen they look to in awe. Olivia Klassen ‘20 says, “my favorite thing is a toss up between trying to follow the conversations my buddies have and getting to do arts and crafts I haven’t done in over a decade”.
Mrs. Kennedy has noticed a significant change in her young students since they started spending time with their buddies. She states, “At first the Pre- K students were nervous and curious. Now, they are confident and feel loved by their buddies. We have also noticed significant improvements their social and communication skills!”
The students from both classes look forward to buddy days and are always excited to engage in a variety of activities together, from painting, beading, building, collaging, doll house, even card games. The warmer weather might even afford buddies a chance to get outside and allow the high schoolers reminisce about those days when they had recess.
The high schoolers always make it a priority to stop and say hi to their buddies when they see them in the lunchroom and hallways to extend the relationships even beyond buddy time. It turns out, even after you outgrow pre-K tables and chairs, books and blocks can still forge friendships!