7March 8, 2019 The Catholic Exponent |

BUDDY PROGRAM ... By Nancilynn GattaSpecial to the Exponent

Eighth grade is usually the final grade at an elemen-tary school or junior high. Students who reach this milestone are the senior members of the school. On the brink of enter-ing their high school years, these adolescents are acquiring more responsibility than they had in their younger years. At Girard St. Rose School, eighth-grade students are considered to be sufficiently experienced in their reli-gious, social and emotional development to serve as mentors to an assigned Kindergarten Buddy for the entire school year. Recently, the teens discussed their experiences in the program, how they are helping the younger children ad-just to school life, and what they are gaining by participating. Some eighth-graders have a one-on-one relation-ship with their kindergarten student, while other kindergart-ners have two buddies. Kylee Lutz believes that having a two-to-one ratio for a child is an advantage for the kindergarten student. “I think it’s better. They get more help.” The teens help the younger students with their homework and projects and sit with them at Mass on Wednesdays. “After church, we go back to their room and help them with activities that they are working on,” said Carter Kijowski. Gabby Howe noted that helping the younger stu-dents make the transition to a full day of school activities and learning assignments is also part of being a buddy. “They’ve never been in a [structured] school envi-ronment,” she explained. Gabby expressed pride in having taught her Kinder-garten Buddy to use her “inside voice” at school. Terrance Pankey related his experience: “I ride the bus with my buddy. Sometimes, I sit with him. I laugh at jokes that we make.” He said he makes sure his buddy is on the correct bus to get to and from school. Nick Bako mentioned a project that he and his younger friend collaborated on at Christmas time. “We made a wreath with [uncooked] noodles. We had to put it in a pat-tern because they [were] learning patterns.” Later, the eighth-graders surprised the kindergartners with the wreaths they had spray-painted green. Kelly Peplowski said she feels most helpful to her Kindergarten Buddy when she reminds her about projects she has to do. When the eighth-graders attend Mass with their Kindergarten Buddies, they aid them in understanding the liturgy. “I help her get used to going to church. I make sure she gets Holy Water when she enters and genuflects,” said Gabby. Nick recalled his buddy learning the rituals of the Mass. “On our first day that we went to church, he did the sign of the cross with his left hand. I told him, ‘You’ve got to do it with your other hand.’” Soon, he started to get it, Nick said. “He’s picking up the songs too, since we don’t usually change the songs every week and he sings them really loud.” Connor Heater also taught his Kindergarten Buddy the sign of the cross.

“He used to hit himself in the head when he did the sign of the cross. I showed him how to do it. One day, he said, ‘Look, look.’ He did it right and I told him, ‘Good job, buddy!’” Liam Murphy realizes that he sets an ex-ample for his Kindergarten Buddy. “He watches what I do and now he can say ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’” The older students said they gain many benefits from participating in the Kindergarten Bud-dy program. Annelise Abruzzi said being a buddy to a kindergartner helps her know how to work with the

younger students she helps as a dance assistant at the studio where she studies ballet. Christopher Adams agrees that the buddy program helps him with life outside of school. “I help take care of my younger siblings and cous-ins, so my Kindergarten Buddy [experience] makes it easier to help them.” Carter Kijowski has had a similar experience. “I have little neighbors and they knock on my door sometimes to get help with their homework. I show them how to do it,” he said. Gabby thinks her participation in the Kindergarten Buddy program will help her when she has children of her own. “It will help me teach them stuff that will prepare them to go to school,” she said. Some of the teens remembered when they had eight-grade buddies themselves. It has come full circle now that they are helping younger students. When Liam was in kindergarten, the buddy program “made me feel more comfortable when I came to school and it made me more excited on Wednesdays because … I knew I would hang out with them and go to church with them,” he said. Kelly remembered “doing some of the same proj-ects that they are doing when I was in kindergarten. I remem-ber when my buddy used to help me and I’d get it wrong, and now I’m the one who knows how to do it. My buddy is unsure, so I get to show her how to do it so it is right.” Having a Kindergarten Buddy teaches the teens to be more responsible, they said. Liam and his buddy both have food allergies. “I have to take care of him and show him what stuff to check if he’s allowed to have it,” Liam said. “I had to go through

it when I was in kindergarten, so I feel I can pass it down to him. I’m happy that I got him.” The Kindergarten Buddy program reminds the teens that they are role models for the younger children. “I think it helps us as a person. If we do something bad, they might think it’s OK,” said Connor. For this reason, he pays close attention to how he acts, he said. Having a Kindergarten Buddy can be very person-ally fulfilling, the eight-graders said. Connor and Liam have a special handshake be-tween themselves and their buddies. Kylee said that her buddy gives her a hug when she sees her at school and that makes her day. The older students made a Buddy Book or a picture book for the younger students. They wrote the story and then surprised them with it. “Thinking of them having those [books] for years warms my heart so much,” said Annelise. Some kindergartners have reciprocated the gift. “Two weeks after I gave her a book, she gave me one that she made, as I was walking out of school,” said Kylee. Gabby recalled the day she first met her Kindergar-ten Buddy: “We made cards to give them. When I went back the next day, I saw that [mine] was in her folder. It made me happy that she would keep it.” The teens said they realize that the Kindergarten Buddy program helps them put their faith into action. As Proverbs 3:27 says: “Do not withhold good from whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Many other schools in the diocese employ a simi-lar buddy program, pairing eight-graders – and sometimes also seventh-graders – with younger students.

... inspires eighth-gradersto be positive role models for

younger schoolmates

Featuring Eighth Grade students from St. Rose School, Girard

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