Welcoming spaces are vital parts of school environments, and intergenerational student connections are just one way to create these spaces.
Due to the construction of the new Sisters Elementary School (SES), relations between Sisters School District students have increased in numerous ways.
Earlier this month Sisters High School Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition (IEE) students worked with SES kindergarten and 1st graders on plant identification. After the teachers of these classes realized that they were covering similar content, they decided to collaborate. Juniors at SHS led hands-on activities with the younger students, focusing on analyzing physical parts of native plants.
“Collaboration between high school and elementary school students is super important because it helps develop crucial life skills like communication, leadership, and problem solving skills,” states SES science teacher Jocelyn Blevins, “My favorite part is students get to learn about and solve real world problems and have real world applications to scenarios where there are people of different ages and expertise who work together to solve problems.”
The classwork lasted two days, with juniors reserving one hour for kindergarteners and one hour for 1st graders each day. Every junior teamed up with a peer to lead a group of two to four SES students, taking them outside and showing them the variety of vegetation surrounding them.
“It was so fun! I wish we could do this every day!” stated one eager 1st grader.
“I don’t really remember what I learned but it was fun,” confides another kindergartener.
“I liked when my high schooler did a scavenger hunt with us, it made learning really fun,” says one elementary student.
Although learning is a part of the goal, relationship building between generations was another main objective. This aspect is an underrepresented part of creating a welcoming school community, because increasing understanding and connections between different ages is essential.
Other efforts made through SHS, including freshman biology classes teaching 2nd graders about endangered species and the garden club working with kindergarteners about the evolution of insect life cycles, have aided this mission.
As the year continues both teachers and students of all ages hope these partnerships will continue, with the possibility of becoming an annual event.