Admissions Blog: Cross-Divisional Spartans

At The Steward School, Spartans learn, grow, and make important connections with the world, and with each other, inside and beyond the classroom. Our close-knit community is made even stronger when students of all ages spend time together. Everywhere you look, Spartans are teaming up!

At the beginning of each school year, the Buddy Program pairs junior kindergarten and kindergarten students with senior students at Convocation. It’s a charming tradition, and you can’t help but smile when you see the grins on the faces of these Spartan partners as they process down the Colonnade. The buddies also get together at school events throughout the year, including pep rallies, the Thanksgiving program, Field Day, and Commencement. Some buddies even keep in touch well beyond their years at Steward!

In 2025, a new student-led Middle and Upper School buddy program was founded, giving students beyond-the-classroom opportunities for friendship and connection. “The idea,” said Lexi Turner ’28, who worked with Middle School administrators to spearhead the program, “is that by the time the younger students get to Upper School, they are already good friends with a senior who can support them and show them the way.” The program pairs sixth graders with students in grades nine and ten, and about 100 students have opted in to participate.

All Steward students take Spanish classes, starting in junior kindergarten and continuing through Upper School. This deep cultural immersion offers many benefits beyond an excellent understanding of grammar and vocabulary. It also creates connections for students of all grade levels. Recently, juniors and seniors in Spanish 4 College Prep taught kindergarten and first-grade students how to make tostadas while using Spanish vocabulary.

For their capstone projects, members of Steward’s Leadership Program shared their time and talent with younger Spartans in a variety of ways. Maddie Hayden ’27 organized and facilitated a field hockey clinic for grades 4-7 with a focus on the accessibility of women’s sports. Kaitlyn Freed ’27 ran a four-week after-school math enrichment program for students in grades 2 and 3. Claire Stuckey ’27 teamed up with first graders to conduct a STEM-inspired science experiment, and Annika Yaratha ’27 taught sixth graders about the history and impact of stereotypes. 

The Book Buddy project brings together Middle Schoolers with their Lower School friends through the joy of reading. At the beginning of the third marking period, Middle School students and Lower Schoolers in grades JK-3 meet for cozy reading sessions in the Lower School classrooms and hallways. Reading together is a casual, fun way for students to relax and spend time together … and it’s a great way to nurture social-emotional learning and development in Lower and Middle School students.

Student volunteers in grades 6-11 who complete Spartan Counselor Apprentice (SCA) training are an essential part of the success of Summer Experience, our popular camp program. They serve as helpful stewards as they sharpen their leadership skills, leading young campers around campus and assisting instructors as needed. With additional training, students who have served as SCAs may go on to serve as Summer Experience camp counselors. Did you know? Summer Experience offers more than 150 camps in arts, athletics, academics, technology, innovation, and community service! 

Spartans in grades 10-12 can work in our AfterSchool Care program in a variety of ways. They engage students through play, assist with homework, and read stories to younger Spartans. These hardworking students learn and practice valuable skills, including time management, effective communication, and budgeting. A part-time job in AfterSchool Care allows students to manage their busy academic, athletic, theatre, and social schedules.