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At Pinecrest, a school serving the Annandale, VA community and participating within the network of Northern Virginia schools, our inter-grade mentorship initiative extends beyond simple peer interaction. Our “big buddy” program is thoughtfully integrated within our early childhood program and Independent Elementary School curriculum, and is intentionally designed to cultivate empathy, leadership skills, and significant social-emotional growth for students across all participating grade levels.
Pinecrest offers a comprehensive elementary academic curriculum, and our core comes from social-emotional learning. Prospective families exploring Fairfax private schools and Fairfax Independent Schools may find this dual benefit and equal emphasis to be a valuable aspect of our school environment. Pinecrest’s positive peer interactions, enriched by an SEL focus, begin in the early grades and continue throughout elementary school.
Why the buddy program matters:
During class buddy visits, you might see them reading stories together, drawing colorful pictures side-by-side, doing experiments together, or even just sharing a quiet moment of comfortable companionship. It’s in these simple interactions that the real magic happens – friendships bloom, confidence grows, and a deep sense of belonging takes root within our school.
Students report feeling more connected across grade levels through the Buddy Program. At Pinecrest, our slogan is “This is Pinecrest, this is Community”. Being a community means having close ties with each other. Having this intentional, cross-grade time built into the curriculum provides the opportunity for the community to grow. Students grow close relationships, and spend time together, from sitting together at the Thanksgiving Feast, or making cards and notes for each other. One anecdote to highlight this, a 1st-grade student shared with their 5th grade buddy that they wanted a pet hamster during a special buddy snack time. At the end of the year, during their closing buddy activity, the 5th-grade buddy brought a framed hamster drawing they had made for their little buddy. This formal gift highlighted the bond they built, but all the interactions are a gift themselves.
Buddy pairings can also create valuable “teaching moments” when older students navigate interpersonal connections with someone of a different age, prompting critical thinking, responsibility, and shared learning experiences facilitated by teachers. Our older students discover a different kind of joy in being a mentor, a friendly guide, a patient listener, and a reassuring presence for our younger learners. You can see it in their gentle encouragement, the pride in their voice as they help their buddy learn a new game and the thoughtful way they explain things.
And the warmth flows both ways. For our youngest ones, having a big buddy is like having a star they can reach for. They look up to them, not just in size, but in the way they navigate being a student at Pinecrest, the kindness they show, and the fun they bring to activities. Little buddies will one day become big buddies too, and they have great examples on how to be a mentor based on their previous experience having their buddies’ helping hand.
At Pinecrest, we’re dedicated to nurturing compassionate leaders and engaged learners from their earliest years through elementary school. Our unique blend of robust academics and intentional social-emotional development, exemplified by our powerful big buddy program, creates an educational experience that truly stands apart. To learn more about how the Pinecrest difference can benefit your child in person, check out Pinecrestschool.org/openhouse and pinecrestschool.org/tours to see Pinecrest in action.