Starting this week, the Social Responsibility Team’s (SRT) newest program will hit the Mequon-Thiensville school district. The SRT first started at Homestead this year in the hopes of creating a better school community. The team started within the staff and has branched out to a handful of students. This new program, Reading Buddies, sets up high school students with elementary schools to read with the younger kids.

“Many teachers have gotten in touch with us already and the first groups are set to go to classrooms this week.  We have two to three students reading to multiple classrooms on various dates between the hours of 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. (typically from around 3:15-3:45),” Mrs. Molly Navarre, special education teacher and head of the program, said.

A student would either be reading to an entire class or to individual kids, depending on what the elementary school teacher has planned. “We basically get to go and read to an assigned classroom to interact with younger kids who are looking forward to seeing our faces every week,” Maggie Wigdale, senior, said.

The commitment of Reading Buddies varies per student, based on what he or she wants. Students are able to sign up for various dates with Mrs. Navarre as often as they please. “We are looking to get as many students involved as possible.  The commitment is whatever the student makes it, as they can sign up for the dates that work for them.  The dates are constantly added and we are looking to fill them,” Mrs. Navarre said.

The goal of this program is to let students throughout MTSD interact with each other and broaden the community. “Reading buddies was created to bring the community together more. As of now, the different MTSD schools never interact but through this program we are now able to build relationships with young kids. This program is a great way to give some time to build the community closer,” Wigdale said.