Mentoring younger students and being aware of what it means to model appropriate, positive behavior brings out the best in our older students and helps to build empathy and community on campus. Beginning in elementary school, students get the experience of being an older buddy. The younger students are awed and inspired by being near their older friends and developing new relationships. This symbiosis creates a tight community of children who can feel how much these cross-grade relationships mean to them – whether it’s on the yard at recess, during a library visit, at CLAS or Family Groups.
