During Community Day, there was a new event: the inaugural 6th grade/senior lunch. Every 6th grader was paired up with the same senior they met during Convocation. There was lots of chatting, mayhem, and a giant line at the entrance to the dining hall, where a special nacho bar lunch awaited. Both the grades seemed to have lots of fun!
There was a committee that included Matt McCracken, Sheridan Johnson, Peter Gloyd, and Rebecca Marinetti, who organized this event with the “main captain,” Dara Johnson, who is also the director of community service. The committee wanted “our 6th graders and 12th graders to share some authentic conversations about their lives as Chargers.” In the past, after Convocation, 6th graders and their respective seniors often lost their connections, because they practically never crossed paths, with the seniors on East Campus and the 6th graders on West Campus. The committee thought, “What if we organize an event that would re-spark the connections?”
Mr. McCracken’s hope for the sixth graders was that “whatever happened in their interactions would make them stronger students on campus, whether it was tests, life, or fun things.” The sixth graders would gain a little wisdom and have a sense of belonging. The hope for the seniors was that they would be empowered by knowing, according to Mr. McCracken, how “wise and intelligent they are,” from their years of already going through high school, and in turn help the 6th graders to have confidence and believe in themselves more. Their conversations show that the seniors really aren’t that different from the 6th graders!
The committee that organized the event hopes that it will make the other grades excited about the lunch when they become seniors. What the planning committee also hopes is that the 6th graders and seniors will interact together when they see each other on campus, like, “OMG, there’s my little 6th grader buddy!” or vice versa.
The organizers were originally a little unsure about the reaction to this event, but everyone seemed to have an excellent time. According to Mr. McCracken, in general there was “a lot of positive feedback from the lunch,” and we are “definitely doing it next year.” The planning committee is already looking for more opportunities to get the 6th graders and seniors together.
All in all, this event was very successful, so future seniors and 6th graders can definitely look forward to this new tradition!