Students from grades 5 and 12 met up on March 11 for their final Eagle Buddies event, as the seniors prepare to graduate this spring. The buddies met at the upper school gym before being sent off to eat St. Patrick’s Day themed cupcakes and play with noisemakers and beach balls.

“The first time I met [my grade 5 buddy, Max Blennemann], he was really shy and quiet, but at the end of that first meeting, we just connected,” said senior Raghav Jain, “and since then we send emails to each other to keep in touch.”

“It’s fun to see what older kids do … in high school and stuff,” said Blennemann.

“It’s really fun. I really enjoy connecting with the lower school. It’s like having a little sibling,” added Sophia Luo, grade 12.

Christopher Nikoloff, head of school, dropped by toward the end of the meeting to share his appreciation for the Eagle Buddies program, saying, “It’s very, very important to the community. It’s very, very important to the growth of our young students and I hope the growth of our older students as they look back and remember when they were kids.”

The Eagle Buddies program began during the 2010-11 school year and pairs students in grade 3 with a buddy in grade 10. The two students correspond and engage in activities together each year until the sophomores graduate and the grade 3 students enter the middle school.