One group of buddies had a blast playing a game in which they had to keep several balloons in the air. Each balloon had a topic written on it, such as role model, favorite animal or favorite superhero. At the end of the game, each pair of buddies caught one of the balloons and sat down to discuss what was written on the balloon. Over at the bleachers, buddies put their heads together to create stylish and intricate logos on their name tags. At another spot, buddies ran up and down the field in a classic three-legged race. Groups were rotated through the three areas to make sure every student had the chance to have fun with all the activities.

After the students had spent time at each activity, they all enjoyed conversation over a hamburger lunch on Davis Field.

Cole Smitherman, grade 5, and his buddy, Pranav Sharma, grade 12, had just met the day of the event but had corresponded by mail beforehand. They learned about each others’ favorite books during the balloon activity (Smitherman’s is “Harry Potter,” while Sharma’s is Albert Camus’ “The Stranger”). “It’s really cool just to be able to connect with someone who’s much younger than we are, and how we were once,” Sharma said.

Grace Hajjar, grade 5, has known her buddy, senior Amy Gendotti, since the Eagle Buddies program started in 2010. “When we first met, we were sort of shy and all, because we didn’t know what we liked,” Hajjar said. “So we got to know each other, and it’s been good.”

Gendotti said the program has been beneficial to her because, “I got to go to a lot of events I normally wouldn’t because I don’t have any younger siblings or anything.”