Older and Younger Spartans: Side by Side

At The Steward School, Spartans are encouraged to explore their interests and try new things. They learn, grow, and make important connections with the world, and with each other, inside and outside the classroom. 

Steward’s close-knit community is made even stronger when students of all ages work (and have fun!) together. At the beginning of each school year, for example, the Buddy Program pairs junior kindergarten and kindergarten students with senior students at Convocation, and buddies team up at school events throughout the year. Plus, the Book Buddy project brings together Middle Schoolers with their Lower School friends through the joy of reading. And the student-volunteers in grades 6-11 who serve as Spartan Counselor Apprentices and camp counselors are an essential part of the success of our popular Summer Experience program. Everywhere you look on campus, Spartans are teaming up! 

This year, a new program is bringing older and younger Spartans together. The Women’s Empowerment Club created the Big Sister/Little Sister initiative to build relationships between Upper School and Middle School girls. 

A recent bracelet-making project made for a lively afternoon of mentorship and fun. Kara Freed ’29 said, “I liked meeting with the Upper Schoolers because it was interesting to hear what they like about Upper School … since I’m going to be there in a couple of years! I liked making  bracelets with them because we talked about all sorts of things to get to know each other.”

The Women’s Empowerment Club, which was formed in 2021, got a boost in 2023 when Ana Reveles Leon ’24 and Maya Trepp ’25 collaborated to revamp it. The club aims to provide a supportive community that empowers girls and women at Steward and beyond. Upper School Social Studies Teacher Eliza McGehee and Upper School World Languages Teacher Julia Tompkins co-sponsor the club. 

In addition to the Big Sister/Little Sister program, the club has also done projects such as “self-confidence posters” for girls during exams and bake sales to support an organization that builds medical clinics in rural Peru.