When great ideas are planted at Pennfield they tend to sprout and grow – and thus is the case with the Buddy Program. It all began when a Pre-Kindergarten and a Third Grade teacher paired their students up as Buddies. The older buddy was to help read or talk to the younger buddy about a chosen subject or book and, in turn, build the older and younger buddy’s self-esteem, communication and empathy skills. As it turned out, both older and younger buddies greatly benefitted from the program and other teachers began to give it a try. Now the Buddy Program is a permanent fixture at Pennfield; twice a month Buddies have the opportunity to get together. The planned activities together are varied and include decorating the School for Halloween, dining at the Thanksgiving Feast, creating art projects and other fun and educational activities throughout the year. It’s not uncommon to see Buddies finding each other during a school day to say, “Hi!”, or sitting together at Morning Assembly. The Buddy Program has become a treasured and true community builder for our School.
