On October 1, Dean of Student Activities and Auxiliary Programs Ms. Farrell Heydorff held an assembly to announce the new Tigers and Cubs program. The program invites Upper School students to volunteer to be paired with one to three Lower School students and engage in multiple scheduled activities throughout the year. The pairings remain until Lower and Upper School students graduate.

The Tigers and Cubs program has been in development for more than two years. Ms. Heydorff and Former Dean of Upper School Student Activities Ms. Brittany Coker had been working together to reconsider ways to connect Upper School students with Lower School students. Previously, Westridge held Greek and Roman families, groups of various grade levels sharing the same Greek or Roman category, to build connections between the Upper and Lower School students. Ms. Heydorff and Ms. Coker began to think about what was successful and unsuccessful with the Greek and Roman families when they were discontinued. In an effort to continue the connection between Lower and Upper School students, Ms. Heydorff and Ms. Coker worked with Peer to Peer, an elective designed to allow Upper School students to serve as peer leaders, to work closely with a Lower School homeroom group. However, this didn’t build the connection between Lower and Upper School students like they had hoped.

But it didn’t end there. Ms. Heydorff thought of Tiger Camp, a Westridge-run summer program where Upper School students work as counselors for Middle and Lower School campers. With this in mind, she wanted to bring this connection between the Lower and Upper School students into the school year. Over the summer, she developed the Lower and Upper School program, Tigers and Cubs, and Westridge’s Middle School mentorship between seventh and eighth graders, Stripes. 

“I feel like it’s a sense of belonging, especially for our younger students, but also for our older students,” said Ms. Heydorff about the program’s goals.

Just like an older sibling helps guide a younger one, the program allows older students to mentor younger ones, creating a place where everyone feels connected and supported.

By making the mentoring program voluntary, the program hopes that Upper School students who choose to participate will be eager to share their experiences and knowledge. “Westridge is an amazing, unique place, but it can also be a challenging place,” Ms. Heydorff said. Having a connection with an Upper School student can offer Lower School students guidance and support.

When asked how she planned to create a better relationship with the Lower School students, Emerson M. ’28, who volunteered to be a mentor, said, “I want [my Cub] to tell me stuff that they like to do and see if we have anything in common.”

Both Upper and Lower school students benefit from the program, with Upper School mentors eager to learn from their younger peers as well. “I wanted to meet the other Lower School kids because I didn’t go to Lower School here at Westridge,” Adina S. ’28 shared. 

Alongside the Upper Schoolers’ enthusiasm, Lower Schoolers are also very excited about this program. 5th grader Ellie K. expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “I’m excited to tell [my mentor] what I like and tell them everything about me.”

4th grader Leoni S. shared a similar statement. “I’m excited to talk,” she said, showing no hesitation when asked if she would be nervous. 

As the program launches for the first time, 112 Upper Schoolers have already volunteered. The Tigers and Cubs program is already creating enthusiasm across campus, with both Upper and Lower School students eager to build connections and learn from each other.