Buddy Bears: How MTS Builds Community Across the Grades

Buddy Bears is a long-standing, cherished tradition at MTS, connecting students across grade levels in small groups called dens—pairing our youngest and oldest students throughout the year. These cross-age friendships build empathy, leadership, and connection, and reflect our school values of Honoring Childhood, Celebrate the Journey, and Practice Active Inclusion.

The Buddy Bear program kicks off on Teddy Bear Day, when each student brings a teddy bear stuffie to school and meets their den members. Dens are gender-mixed, with students from each grade thoughtfully distributed across every group—giving friendships room to form naturally.  Throughout the year, dens continue to meet for shared activities, celebrations, and lunches.

The overall goal is to build belonging across grades — creating meaningful, ongoing relationships among students of different ages. It's something visiting families often notice: students who are mindful and considerate of classmates well outside their own grade, growing into thoughtful, caring members of a community. It's one example of how the school intentionally builds belonging across the whole school community.