Sulphur Springs Community School TK students says goodbye to their 6th grade mentorsĀ
On the sidelines, transitional kindergarten students at Sulphur Springs Community School wore large white T-shirts with the words āfuture graduating class of 2029ā and gazed up at their sixth-grade mentors as they walked the stage ā and in a few years that would be them, too.
When students at Sulphur Springs Community School returned to in-person instruction there was something missing, according to TK instructor Jada Dunn. After her daughter showed her a TikTok about Little Buddies, she got the idea to implement the program on campus.Ā Ā
Little Buddies is a program where older students āadoptā younger students and mentor them in different ways, such as teaching them how to be a good friend, helping them with homework, playing activities and more.
āThey [the sixth graders] had a special relationship with the TK students,ā Dunn said. āThe sixth graders came down weekly and taught the transitional kindergarteners everything as far as like perseverance, whatās it’s like to be friends with someone, especially after a pandemic.ā
Although Little Buddies isnāt an official program on the campus, Principal Chris Guerrero approved of the idea to have sixth graders and TK students interact with each other. According to Dunn, they are hoping to implement Little Buddies in the next school year because it made such an impact on the students.
āIt made such a difference in my students and it softened the sixth graders,ā Dunn said. āIt made them have a love for life.ā
As part of the 2022 graduation ceremony for the sixth graders, the TK students watched their mentors graduate and prepare for junior high. The idea came from sixth graders who wanted their little buddies to remember where they began and see how far theyāve come.
āWhen the sixth graders came in to play with them, they would tell the TK students, āWhen I was in TK, I did this or I did that,āā Dunn said. āThe sixth graders are now graduating and one day our TK students will be graduating just like them in 2029.āĀ
According to Dunn, Guerrero is an amazing principal who really made Little Buddies happen.
āMany of you here have been with us since kindergarten,ā Guerrero said during his address. āThis is your home. Weāve watched you grow up.ā
āThe best part of school was the relationships and the friendships that you have built over the years.ā
From one group of students to the next, Little Buddies at Sulphur Springs Community School will aim to cultivate relationships between students and make each student feel they can persevere and feel at home.Ā