“Jenga!” exclaimed senior Chad Luetje (‘22), toppling the woodblock tower as he pulled out the final piece. In October, the current senior class met up once again with their kindergarten buddies for an adventure of games like Jenga, ConnectFour, and Chutes + Ladders. 

This tradition, as described by Senior Dean Matt Thurman, is one cherished dearly by both the kindergarteners and seniors. Mr. Thurman comments, “From talking to both the Seniors and the younger kids, it really is something dear to the hearts of both parties involved. A lot of the current Senior class has been at Barstow for long enough that they participated in this at one point as Kindergarteners, so for those students especially it’s really special for them to be on the other side of the equation.” 

One senior and lifer, Emmett Pearce ‘22, spoke on what it felt like to be a part of the tradition on the other end, “Yeah, it was super special but also weird to be on the senior end of the activity. I still remember my buddy from all those years ago and now I feel old!” 

The event held on October 13 was one of two kindergarten-senior buddies get-togethers that has taken place this year. The first time, the groups did a scavenger hunt. This scavenger hunt took them through all parts of school, looking for landmarks to spot and take photos with.

The most recent meeting consisted primarily of students playing various board games with their buddies. One student favorite was ConnectFour, a classic game which seems to be just as popular as it was when the seniors were kindergarten age. 

The kindergarten-senior buddies will meet several more times this year. Almost all of the unique traditions at Barstow that we all cherish so much were fundamentally altered or canceled altogether last school year. This year, it is incredibly special that we are able to return to the majority of these events. The kindergarten-senior buddy activities are an example of one of these great events. Barstow community members should be extremely thankful for the fact that this event is back and helping to further forge special relationships and memories for our beloved students.