From Junior K to Graduation Day!

Our JrK/Senior Buddy Program Bookends Our Students’ Time at Cannon

by Ella Kungl and Skylar Couture

One of our most time honored traditions is our Junior Kindergarten/Senior Buddy program. Each year, every junior kindergartener is paired with a senior buddy. We start off every year with a personalized poster greeting each student and welcoming them to Cannon School. Throughout the year we host several fun events to build connections. With annual pizza lunches, holiday-related crafts, and the famous JrK driver’s license test in which the senior buddies cheer them on, it’s without a doubt one of Cannon’s most beloved traditions! It’s an amazing representation of the start and finish of new beginnings for JrK and bittersweet goodbyes for the seniors.

We asked some of our Cougars how this program impacted them during their time at Cannon.

“Being a senior buddy has given me a new perspective on the Cannon community within the Lower School. Having come to Cannon in Middle School, I did not have the same experience as some of my peers. Being paired up with my buddy Zoe Molinar has brought me so much joy. I learned the value of relationships and the importance of helping those younger than me grow.”

– Nicky Thompson ’23

“My senior buddy Helen (Craft) is the best buddy ever! We make treats together. Before Christmas I went to her house and we made gingerbread together. And she gives me presents that I can play with and she always pushes me on the swings when we are on the playground. I love her!”

– Emily Chichetti ’36

“When I was in JrK, my buddy was named Katie, and I remember that when she graduated she went to UNC Chapel Hill. My most vivid memory with her was the day we created our cardboard cars and got our licenses. I remember her clapping and cheering me on, which was the coolest thing ever. It was scary being in JrK around the ‘big kids’ in the halls but knowing that I had an older kid that was my buddy made me so excited.

Now that I am on the other end of this experience, it is extremely rewarding because I know that I’m forming a bond that Ellis (my JrK buddy) will always remember, like me. It is a very full-circle type of feeling. Being at Cannon for all these years, my heart feels so full seeing not only me, but also my classmates interact with their JK buddies. Seeing the excitement in the junior kindergarteners’ eyes when they see their buddy is priceless.”

– Morgan Brown ’23