Not many high school students can say that they have played “Duck, Duck, Goose” in the past few weeks, but Laguna Blanca’s Leadership class is an exception.

For the first year, Laguna’s Student Council has made an effort to pass on its leadership skills to future generations, beginning with the kindergartners.

Initially, the Student Council strengthened its bond with the class of 2024 by holding Skype conferences with the kindergartners at the end of the school day.

But for the first time, Laguna’s Leadership students met with their protégés face-to-face over Domino’s pizza and field games.

“We want to show them a little bit of life up on the Hope Ranch campus and also create a situation where the younger kids and the older kids can hang out and talk,” said Mr. Tyler Hodges, Head of the Upper School.

It didn’t take long for the relationship to grow beyond digital conversations, particularly when these students gathered around the mush pot and then, lined up against the fence to play a few rounds of alternative kickball.

In an effort to connect the Lower School with the Upper School, Mr. Tyler Hodges coordinated this event with the help of the Mr. Shayne Horan Head of the Lower School, both of whom hope to develop a more unified community between both campuses.

“Building connections between those age groups is really good for the kindergartners and they obviously love interacting with the Upper School kids because they seem so big.

The initial Skype sessions were really good exercises for the Upper School kids to interact with the little kids,” said Mr. Hodges.

Based on the reaction of students, parents, and teachers alike, Laguna’s efforts to foster a strong connection between both campuses have been successful in bringing the Laguna community closer together and instilling leadership within its students.

“It’s a great way to strengthen the bonds between the older kids and the younger kids,” said ASB vice president Alex Greer.