The Patrick McCurdy Education Foundation

Each year that I am a part of the public school system, I get the opportunity to witness some pretty “cool”, “teachable moments”.  This year I witnessed high school students demonstrating incredible kindness and compassion for the younger students in the Pleasant Hill School District.

Our Billy Buddies Program has been in existence for a few years now, however, due to scheduling constraints, it was difficult to find a time in the high school students’ day when they could mentor the first and second grade students.  Our Elementary School Mentor Coordinator, Susie Rexius, and the High School’s Service Learning Teacher, Pat Lebrun worked relentlessly to make the program work.  Finally, in November the Billy Buddies had their first meeting.

What an incredible meeting it was!  Seventeen high school students volunteered their time to meet with a “little buddy” once a week for 50 minutes. They just had their last meeting of the year on Monday, May 24th.

Each week, the high school students came prepared with games, activities, and arts and craft projects that engaged the younger students in ways that we adults could not do!    It was one of those “ah-ha” moments when I realized I was learning more from the students than they are from me or from the experience.

Because of this powerful experience, Billy Buddies will be offered as a class next year for high school students who have completed Pat Lebrun’s Childhood Development course.  Each student will have two “little buddies” (a first and a second graders) who they will meet with twice a week during 4th period.  It’s a win-win!  The “little buddy” will gain a big brother or sister and the high school students will have the experience of a lifetime…and three credits to boot!

For me…well, here’s another opportunity for the adults to learn from our students!  How wonderful!