BRIDGEPORT – Bridgeport Exempted Village School District is strengthening culture among the Bulldog family by bringing together the oldest and youngest students.
On Sept. 9, groups of Bridgeport High School juniors and seniors paid a visit to the Bridgeport Elementary School kindergarteners and read a selection of books. The kiddos were delighted as they gathered to listen.
Afterward, high school readers asked the kindergarteners what they liked about the books.
Bridgeport High School Principal Jack Fisher said this would be a monthly activity with his older students stopping by elementary school grades throughout the year.
Junior Camden Dillon said he liked the attention.
“I was super excited. I hope I can teach them something,” he said.
“I enjoy speaking to people,” he said. “It was a fun experience for me, and I got some feedback as a speaker.”
JuniorConnor Nelson had a good time reading.
“This was my first time going back and getting the experience with the younger generation,” he said. It was really cool to be able to get in front of them and see where I’m at now and where they’re going to be.”
He added the kindergarteners paid excellent attention.
“At the end I brought it all together and asked: ‘What do you guys think?’ and I got a few answers out of that that tells me some of these little guys definitely did pay attention.”
Junior Nathan Newkirk said he was impressed by how well-behaved the kiddos were.
“They did good and I enjoyed it.”
Seeing the kindergarten classrooms from their current perspective brought back memories from the high schoolers’ earliest years as Bulldogs.
Camden said while it was exciting to grow up, the elementary school was familiar.
“I feel like it was yesterday,” Camden said. “I feel like I was eight years old yesterday and now I’m almost 17. It flies by.”
Connor remembered those more carefree days in elementary school, when students had less responsibilities.
“It was cool to see where you’d be when I was back in kindergarten and first grade and see where I might be one day, and now I look back to where I was and it’s a completely different story.”
Nathan agreed.
“Seeing them from my perspective, I kind of thought back and I remembered in kindergarten or when I was younger I was probably more intimidated of the upperclassmen,” he said. “I tried making it good for them.”
Bridgeport Elementary School Principal Kamaron Sabinski thanked the high schoolers. “The elementary students look up to the high school students and love anytime they are in their classrooms. I am so grateful that our students are all in one building so that this can occur.”
