Partner Class Day Does Its Job: Building Relationships

Wakefield's Partner Class Day pairs younger and older grades for an afternoon of making friends and enjoying games, stories, and fresh fall air together.

Each student in the paired grades--1st and 7th, 2nd and 8th, and so forth--"buddies up" with a partner for the day, and these pairings of older and younger students then stick together as each pair of grades moves through a rotation of three activities--relay races, "continuous tag," and a presentation by special guest and children's book author Sharon Lynn Brown. Time is also set aside within the rotations for buddies to have time to simply talk and get to know one another, and the growth of individual relationships was visible throughout the afternoon.

The benefits of this type of camaraderie between different age groups flows both ways, with older students experiencing leadership opportunities (as well as new friendships!) and younger students gaining new mentors (as well as new friends!) to look up to and emulate.

Click here for some images of what the beautiful October day provided.