Blog

Every day, we lead, guide, support, and watch our students live out the CIS mission. 

In big and small ways, we witness a genuine pursuit of academic excellence, physical and creative achievement, and service across all three divisions of our school. The most rewarding part of our mission is experiencing the joy found within our campus. 

The joy that shines through the relationships that develop at CIS is unparalleled, whether that is a student-faculty relationship, parent-teacher relationship, or student-to-student relationship. 

Student-to-student relationships grow in various ways at CIS, and one of the benefits of enrolling your child in a JK-12 setting is the opportunities for children to engage with other children of different age ranges. Starting in Kindergarten, students are paired with an older buddy with whom they meet regularly to play, learn, and get to know each other. Kindergarten students are paired with 3rd-grade students, 1st-grade students with 4th-grade students, and 2nd-grade students with 5th-grade students. There are so many positive ways these relationships impact our students. So we recently asked ourselves, “Why stop there?” 

Last year, Jamie Blake, CIS School Counselor, helped create an elective opportunity for upper school students called “Teacher Internship.” This semester-long course partners an upper school student with a lower or middle school teacher, creating a cross-divisional opportunity for academic support, practical experience, and fun. During this hands-on course, students work alongside CIS teachers, assisting with instructional activities and engaging with students in a real-world educational environment. Mrs. Blake shares, “Our upper school students take challenging classes and have amazing academic skills. Teacher Internship is a way for them to build relationship skills and have practical experience, which will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Research consistently shows the advantages to both the mentor and mentee in increased confidence, academic performance, and a sense of belonging. These kinds of tangible and intangible benefits are what this program is all about.”

I am currently reading 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager. The book discusses the impact a “mentor mindset” has on motivation and the positive power that grows from these relationships. We aim to continue growing the Teacher Internship program, expanding mentorships across the divisions. This semester, we have seven upper school students enrolled in the Teacher Internship class. These students are working in multiple disciplines, including math, reading, spelling, band, art, and PE, in grades JK3 through 6th. 

The relationships that develop because of this opportunity are far-reaching and not only support our mission, but they are a fantastic benefit to the students, both old and young. Social-emotional research shows that creating mentor/mentee relationships between older and younger students increases academic performance and self-esteem, and improves relationships. It is also clear that the positive impacts of these relationships are long-lasting and will serve both mentor and mentee for years to come. 

Third-grade teacher Michelle Medenis is a host teacher for the first time this year and has already seen the benefits of teacher internships. Shannon Bullard (12th), her Teacher Intern, was also once a student in her third-grade classroom. 

“Having Shannon in my classroom has been a joyful reminder of why I love teaching so much, especially at CIS. Watching Shannon work with third graders in the same classroom where she once learned math is a special “full circle” moment for me in my teaching career. We are so lucky to have her this year!” 

Gabe Martin (11th grade) is working with Coach Rad this semester and shares about his experience working with middle school students during PE. Gabe shares that his “teaching internship is a good experience to see what teaching is like and to learn how to communicate with younger kids. It’s good for CIS, because it creates community between all three divisions, and it’s good for younger students to have connections to upper school students.” 

This year, our seniors will have time once a quarter with their JK 4 buddy, whether that means blowing bubbles on the playground, reading a book and drinking hot cocoa, or working together to make a craft. There is such wonder in the eyes of our youngest Lions when they look up at our oldest Lions, and seeing the exchange of smiles and waves in the hallways is another perk to attending a JK-12 school. And the impact goes both ways! Our upper school students learn so much from our younger Lions and find joy in taking time away from AP courses and college essays to play tag or color a picture. 

Abby Gann (10th grade) is in her second year of being a teacher intern, this year working with Mrs. Coffindaffer’s kindergarteners.  “I feel the teaching internship is very beneficial to me, especially when it comes to CIS and its community, especially being an upper school student. It prepares me for possible careers for the future in childhood education.” And do the little Lions like it? “Yes! I like that Abby helps me with Reading Robots,” says Atlas Myer (K). 

Many mentorships take place at CIS. In August, 8th graders join select 11th- graders to climb the Alpine Tower. Then, throughout the year, 11th-graders meet with the 8th-graders to complete assignments, play games, and build relationships. And when these 8th graders show up next year as upper school students, they will already have a solid relationship with the seniors! 

Stay tuned for another blog post in the new year that will discuss how we plan to build upon these relationships (and develop new ones) during upper school Intersession in March.