Unconventional Friendships Bolster Community

A cross-divisional, year-long pairing of juniors and 2nd graders is mutually beneficial: 2nd graders see leadership in action from positive role models, and juniors are reminded that recess and messy science can be really fun.

It was a Thursday in September, and the 2nd graders were nervous. They were about to meet their junior class buddies, who they’d be paired with for the entire school year, for the first time. Would they get along? Would they have anything in common? 

As they made their way to the Lower School, the juniors were also nervous. What if they said the wrong thing? What if their buddy got upset, or bored? “At first, I was a little wary because I had never done anything like that before,” said Zy’Nyah Burnett ’27. To help break the ice, each junior had written a short note to their buddy a few days before their initial meeting, introducing themselves and describing their interests.

After the introductions were complete, juniors walked with their buddies back to the Upper School for a day of activities, including making slime in the science classrooms, screen-printing canvas tote bags in the art rooms, and building LEGO structures. “The planned activities were great because the juniors got to be leaders and help their buddies with whatever they were working on, and the second graders felt comfortable because they could focus on the task at hand, rather than the person standing next to them,” said Katie Jablonski, 2nd grade teacher. They even ate lunch together in the Jack Olson ’67 Commons, where the popsicles were a big hit with the 2nd grade students, who typically only get dessert on Fridays.

The idea to pair juniors with 2nd graders came from Sue Baker, junior class dean and Upper School physical education and health teacher. Baker coordinated with Upper School teachers and 2nd grade teachers to plan many events throughout the school year. Since their first meeting, juniors enjoyed recess and explored the outdoors with their buddies in October, made turkeys in November, and wrote holiday cards together in December. Because the pairings remain the same for the whole school year, they are able to build deep connections. “In 2nd grade we focus on the word community, and juniors focus on leadership,” said Jablonski. “So it’s pairing those two things and putting them in action. It’s very rare to be in one school where we can get together and do something like this, so we jumped on the opportunity.”

By the end of the day, all nervousness was gone. “My students can’t wait to see their buddies again,” said Jablonski. “Every day they ask me when they get to see them again. They can’t wait.”