Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/1141600
News & Notes Do You Know? My Story Arts Athletics Around School Keep on top of all the latest happenings in and out of the classroom at Latin. Bonds that Endure A first grader reads the word "like" correctly, then beams as she gets a high-five from a Latin student volunteer. Learning sight words is a big deal for these young students, but an even bigger deal is being partnered with a Latin buddy for the entire school year. For the past 25 years, Latin middle schoolers (and a few high schoolers) have paired up with first and second graders at McCutcheon Elementary School in the Uptown neighborhood for an after-school literacy-based program. e partnership was the brainchild of Mary Jo Houck and Andrea Finkle, both Latin middle school English teachers who met in grad school. Finkle was a teacher at McCutcheon at the time and proposed to Houck that they get their students together to share a passion for reading. e program grew, and while Finkle and Houck are the administrators and sponsors of the program, they are quick to point out that the real stars of the program are the Latin students who give up their free time every Wednesday after school. "I am blown away by how good Latin students are with the [McCutcheon] kids," said Houck. "ey really inspire us." Finkle noted, "We are really lucky to work with kids who are so giving of their time." Latin seniors, Jack Tempone '19, Charlotte Cronister '19 and Ethan Gomberg '19, have been in the program since they were sixth graders. Tempone enjoyed the program so much that he only missed one session in seven years. "I really liked seeing kids understand something after you explain it to them," he said. "at was very rewarding to me." Cronister, who admitted that she was shy when she started the program, was paired with a similarly shy student her first year. "I had to be more outgoing to draw my student out. I saw that [my student] got more comfortable with me and she grew more confident as the year went along," she said. "I learned that it's okay to be outside your comfort zone." Gomberg volunteered after seeing how much an older brother loved participating in a community service program. "I continued with it for so long because of the relationships that I formed with the buddies," he said. Gomberg was so taken with the program that he created a service project for his bar mitzvah, donating the gifts he received so that about 25 McCutcheon students could take a field trip to the Shedd Aquarium with their Latin buddies. All three Latin seniors are headed to college in the fall, and at least one of them, Tempone, plans to study elementary education, the seeds of which were surely planted during those many afternoons playing Bingo, reading books and writing silly sentences. All three hope they can continue community service while in college. Gomberg will miss the McCutcheon faculty and knowing all the kids' names, while Cronister will miss the welcoming community. "I really grew over the years, and I'm grateful for what the program has given me," she said. I had to be more outgoing to draw my student out. I saw that [my student] got more comfortable with me and she grew more confident as the year went along. – Charlotte Cronister '19 AROUND SCHOOL 4