The Santa Maria-Bonita School District is conducting an academic initiative bridging two neighboring campuses, the El Camino Junior High Science Buddy Program.
Started this school year as a partnership between El Camino Junior High science teacher Nicola Petch-Baker and second-grade teachers at nearby Bruce Elementary, the program pairs every 7th-grade science class at El Camino with a 2nd-grade class at Bruce.
Throughout the school year, the student pairs meet six times for 35-minute sessions. Armed with individual science notebooks, the young learners and their older mentors tackle hands-on investigations together, exploring topics such as plant growth, photosynthesis and pollinators through reading, drawing, and direct observation.
The program grew out of a successful initiative Petch-Baker led, post-COVID, to help students rebuild social connections.
“Beyond teaching foundational science concepts, the buddy model has proven to be a powerful engine for building student confidence, classroom participation, and cross-school community,” educators said.
“Students who sometimes struggle in traditional classroom settings have particularly thrived in their roles as mentors, taking immense pride in guiding their younger peers,” they said.
Petch-Baker said she wanted to create an opportunity for students to connect in a meaningful way.
“It has been such a joy watching my 7th-graders build relationships with the 2nd-graders, and these sessions have quickly become a highlight of my week,” she said. “My hope is that we can continue to grow the program into the next school year and eventually across different campuses.”