International Council Begins Buddy Program
By Joshua Kim
This school year the International Council revived the “Buddy Program,” where new international students are paired with a returning student to spend time with. This is meant to help new students navigate academic and social aspects of school life and transition to a new school environment.
The program ran for three weeks from the beginning of the school year. During this time, each group competes to complete a checklist of tasks together, with the first and second fastest groups winning gift cards to Druthers Coffee.
The Buddy Program, although brand new to current students, had actually operated for several years before it was shut down in 2020 due to Covid. The International Council brought it back this year though to create a quick, easy way for international students to make friends. New students were emailed throughout the summer about their “buddies” and were encouraged to share contact information. However, there were still a few issues with some students not being assigned a buddy and others not responding to their emails.
The six items on the checklist were: introduce yourselves and share contact information, attend a weekend activity together, attend a school sports game together, eat lunch or dinner together in Kanas, introduce the new students to three other students, and get food at an in-bounds location together. Three weeks later program ended with a pizza party, where Jemima Kirabo and Emma Deden won first place and Liam McEnerney and Rodion Korsunskyi won second.
Speaking on her experience with the Buddy Program, first-place winner Jemima Kirabo said that she had a “fun and engaging” experience and that it helped her buddy Emma get to know more people. She also added that a highlight of their time in the program was when they canoed together at Mr. Crane’s house. “We got stuck in a canoe, so it was a great bonding experience. It was actually terrifying. But it was a good experience, and we jumped into a lake together, so very fun.”