As leaders of the Middle School, the Grade 8 class assists with numerous tasks throughout the year including helping with lower school drop-off. This week, despite some rain, this yearly tradition returned as Kindergarten-Grade 5 students were greeted by eighth grade students as they exited the cars ferrying them to school.

The program is part of King’s expansive effort to create opportunities that cultivate a sense of responsibility among students. A strong community is a key component of the King experience, and these opportunities foster a supportive network while teaching students how a community like King’s is built.

The program will continue for the remainder of the year with all Grade 8 students expected to participate. The responsibility rotates between advisory groups weekly, with each advisor assigning 2-3 students to greet cars. Each day, the greeters arrive by 7:40 a.m. and check-in in the lower school lobby before proceeding out to the drop-off line. Directed by a Lower School faculty member, students greet cars until 7:55 a.m. at which point they head to their first-period advisory class.

“This program helps bridge our divisions and promotes new relationships with the younger students. The response has largely been very positive, especially from the lower school students, who love their interactions with their 8th-grade ‘older siblings’,” wrote Grade 8 Team Leader Ken Lewis.