STUDENT WRITER
Buddies
8 BY
AT ST. MARTIN’S
A N N A LOFFR ED I O, 8 T H G R A D E
S AN 8TH GRADER, I BELIEVE ONE OF THE CORE VALUES AT ST. MARTIN’S IS A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. This is exemplified in many ways throughout all divisions of the school, but particularly through the buddy programs. Halloween buddies, gym buddies, art buddies, math buddies, and 5th/7th-grade buddies are all programs that help strengthen the sense of community at St. Martin’s.
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Another great program is the Halloween buddy program. As has been St. Martin’s tradition for over a decade, each year on Halloween the 8th-grade students walk with the Kindergarten students in a parade. Both the 8th grade and Kindergarten students dress in their costumes (the Kindergarteners are invariably adorable). The buddies meet once a week for several weeks prior to the occasion to get to know their buddies. Addison Hoover commented on her experience, “Buddies are fun! Why do you always have to go eat lunch? Do you have to go eat lunch? Can you just stay here?” It is always an inspiring sight to see the little Kindergarteners holding hands with the 8th graders on Halloween morning.
Each program started for different reasons throughout the years, but most participants agree that they are a great part of life at St. Martin’s. For instance, gym buddies began when the Beginner (3-4-year-olds) students were displaced from their classrooms three years ago due to a fire in the Early Childhood building. Coach Susan Murphy generously offered the gym to the young children during the 8th-grade girls’ PE class so that the Beginners could get their exercise while having fun with the older students. The program continued even after the new EC building was completed because both groups of students enjoyed it so much. “I have so much fun with our buddies, and they are so cute and positive,” said 8th -grader Katherine Davis. But the younger kids enjoy it too. Beginner Collins Henderson told her buddy Luna Ochoa as she pushed herself on a bright red scooter in the gym, “I have so much fun playing with you and my friends… you are so nice to me.” Teachers also use buddies to learn about different styles of teaching. “I wanted to find a way to see how math looked in the Beginners classroom,” said Melissa Grier, the 7th-grade math teacher and the person responsible for beginning math buddies. Buddies can have a significant impact on the lives of students participating. From the tiniest of toddlers all the way to the 8th graders, the experience of having a buddy can make a difference. And buddies don’t always have to be many years apart. They can also be closer in age. One great example of this is the 5th/7th-grade buddy program. Since 2010, the 5th/7th-grade buddies have been a way to help 5th graders transition into Middle School more easily. Current 6th grader Addison Davis said while smiling in the busy Middle School hallway, “It helped us a lot with team building and getting to know others better. It was a great preview of Middle School.” Seventh graders meet with 5th graders for several lunch periods throughout the school year, and 5th graders are given the opportunity to ask their buddy questions about life in the Middle School as they enjoy a lunch on the sunny green space. Once they graduate from Elementary School, the 5th graders have somebody in the Middle School to look to for advice or help in their transition.
22 WINTER 2020 | ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
Overall, the buddy programs at St. Martin’s help teach older students leadership and responsibility, while younger students have someone to lean on and look up to in the following years. Buddies also reinforce and extend the sense of community at St. Martin’s, and are a great experience for all who participate.
