For the 2023 - 2024 academic year, the Senior Student Government decided to implement and pilot a Junior- Senior Buddy Program, to help the new juniors acclimate to the Mass Academy environment in the beginning of the year, and to create a union between two historically distant groups at Mass Academy. 

The disconnect between juniors and seniors is physical and social as well. The juniors attend classes at the main building, while seniors attend all their classes a few blocks away on campus at WPI, with the only times of interactions between the two grades being during social events or passing moments at Mass Academy. The juniors have time to bond with each other during the annual trip to Bournedale in September, but there’s no opportunity for seniors and juniors to interact as closely. 

Senior Class Treasurer Anyee Li explains how Student Government came up with the idea for the program, as everyone was “seeing the disconnect between the senior and junior class at Mass Academy. We [Senior Student Government] really wanted to make a better connection through the school for the class coming in behind us and decided on this buddy system. Feedback from our peers also showed us the class [the current seniors] also thought it would have been helpful to have some seniors give us advice on stuff and just encouragement throughout the year, and so we wanted to put it into action and did that through the Junior- Senior Buddies.” 

The process of matching juniors and seniors is not random either, as Anyee Li also explained how “when the junior class was confirmed we [Senior Student Government] matched juniors and seniors who expressed interest in a buddy up through finding people that had similar interests. I like that it is just a good thing that allows us to connect to the juniors and I think that our two classes’ connection is so much better than ours with the grade above us, and I’m thankful that Mass Academy feels more like a whole school and not just one grade and another grade completely separate.” 

Not only is the process of creating the system meticulous and thought-out, but the juniors have been expressing the positive impact it’s had. Junior Abhikhya Sonti explained that her senior buddy, Anne Tie, has not only been a friend and confidant, but also has helped her with her STEM I project. “Anne has helped me get into contact with other seniors about their STEM I projects last year and has overall just helped me feel more connected. I have friends in the senior class, but having this system for people that may be completely new to Mass Academy is so helpful and I think we’re all grateful for the support we’ve received.”

Senior and junior buddies have been thriving together. From first introductions during Super Tuesday, to becoming cheerleaders at February Fair, the seniors feel connected to the juniors, and many express interest and hope for this program to become a tradition.