‘LITTLE DEVILS, BIG GOALS:’ SV high schoolers mentor elementary school students in new program
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Antonio Ruiz, right, helps a Shenandoah Valley elementary student as part of the "Little Devils, Big Goals" program at the school district.
SHENANDOAH – This school year, Shenandoah Valley’s oldest students have taken time to help the district’s youngest students as part of a new initiative.
Dubbed “Little Devils, Big Goals,” the program started as a way to help juniors earn community service hours while teaching elementary students in a more informal setting.
The students are paired together for half an hour three days a week, Elementary Vice Principal Lesley Matus told the Sentinel in a recent interview.
“We thought it was a win-win,” Superintendent Brian Waite said, allowing the elder students to give back to the school community and explore a potential career interest in early childhood education.
One other benefit Waite noted was that some of the high school students are bilingual and can help younger students who are still learning English.
The district’s combined campus made the program easier to implement, Waite said, as well.
Three students — Aubrey Getz, Jasmin Hurtado, and Antonio Ruiz — described their experience with the program.
“I came in in first grade and I had trouble, so being able to help younger people that go through that too, it’s pretty cool,” Hurtado told the Sentinel.
“When they called us down [to hear about the program,] I was really excited about it because I love teaching the younger kids and I think right now they’re at a really developmental age and it’s good to get as much knowledge in as you can at such a young age,” Getz said.
Ruiz said he’s happy to be part of the program and shared a similar experience as Hurtado.
Seventeen students from the high school side are participating in the program this year, Waite said.
“It’s great that we’re able to do this,” Waite said. “We have some really good kids who are willing to [help.]”
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