Cubs To Grizzlies: Reviving A Tradition We Didn’t Know We Needed

By:  Molly Hinsvark
School:  Colegio Interamericano

Ten minutes before class begins, seniors at Colegio Interamericano are already asking to go down to the library. They search the shelves for favorite picture books from their childhood, while others arrive carrying well-loved stories from home. As they compare titles and laugh over familiar memories, they really are preparing to enter a familiar space from their early years. With colorful pictures and tiny voices preparing for the day, seniors come to greet their highlight of the month: visiting their Pre-K buddies. One senior in particular, who has been working to improve his behavior, was seen reading to two of his buddies with fun voices while his buddies eagerly tried to imitate him.. His classmate, Alejandro, brought a giant book about biomes from around the world which was the size of his buddy. Another senior teared up when sharing her favorite book “I Love You To The Moon And Back” when looking at her buddies’ book about unicorns.
Each month, our entire senior class visits their paired Pre-K buddy for reading books, practicing English, and, most importantly, building connections. Cubs-to-Grizzlies is a revived program from Interamericano’s early years, where seniors and their younger counterparts welcome each other at the start of the day. “We were much smaller back then”, ECE Principal Rebeccas Kramer stated when talking to AASCA Leadership students. “At the beginning of the year, seniors would lead in the Pre-K to their first all school assembly. They would do the same when seniors were led in for their final assembly before graduation. One of the reasons we stopped is because the school grew into different levels, which was too big for an all school assembly”. For the 50th anniversary of the school, AASCA leadership collaborated with me on logistics, organizing and making this program come back to life. They saw a desire to “inter”connect the school through a way to reinforce language learning in Early Childhood classrooms and to reinforce community wellness routines for seniors.“It’s not only for the current seniors”, Irene, one of the leaders, said “it's a selfish desire to be a part of it next year, when I’m a senior too!” The five AASCA leaders then worked to build a starting point for the program, using our school mascot as an anchor. Thus our wonderful pilot program began.

Our goal is to support Pre-K students in their journey through school routines and tactile skills, such as making charms for their moms or counting to 100 with marshmallow millipedes. One of the highlights of the program is the “Wish You Well” greeting our buddies do, a Conscious Discipline technique used to build empathy and community. Each partner sings along to welcome the coming day and build up empathy for their other classmates who aren’t there. These activities have been a great help in building relationships while also having something for seniors to look forward to. One senior in particular goes so far as to help his buddy, whose first language is Korean, practice his English and Spanish. Our instructional coach, Kecia Wooders, saw a need for this around middle school students and their transition into high school. “We want to empower other High School students to seek out these mentoring opportunities, especially with incoming freshmen.” Kecia explained, “If anyone needs it, it's 8th graders who want to know more about the next step towards college life.” As teachers, we get to see our younger students find belonging on campus, while our seniors gain a new sense of responsibility as role models. So why not expand it to the entire school? Our goal as educators is to inspire the next group of leaders and empower them to create positive change. By reviving this tradition, Cubs-to-Grizzlies is helping our students ignite curiosity and empower learning throughout every level of our school. We see this each month as seniors leave reluctantly, waving goodbye to their Cubs, while their Pre-K buddies ask “When will my Grizzly come back