Buddies Program and Town Families
At Town, we intentionally build strong connections within and across grade levels through a variety of formal and informal programs that foster belonging, leadership, and community.
Each kindergartener is paired with a fourth grade student as a “buddy.” Buddy pairs meet regularly throughout the year, providing younger students with an older mentor on campus while giving older students meaningful opportunities to serve as leaders and role models.
Our Families program extends these relationships by bringing buddy pairs together in larger, multi-grade groups led by faculty and staff members. Over time, boys grow up within their Town School Family, welcoming a new student each year and strengthening connections across grades.
Families meet several times throughout the year for activities that encourage collaboration, service, and fun. Students may assemble hygiene kits for local shelters, help clean the surrounding neighborhood, participate in acts of kindness within the community, or simply spend time together playing games or enjoying outdoor activities. These shared experiences create opportunities for boys to work, play, and learn together while building lasting relationships across the school.
Leadership Opportunities
From roles within their Town Family or classroom to more formal positions in Student Government, Town students are provided with many opportunities to develop leadership skills throughout their school experience.
As the oldest students in Lower School, fourth graders help design and lead Lower School Assemblies and welcome younger students each morning by assisting at the curb during arrival. These early leadership opportunities help students build confidence, responsibility, and a sense of community.
In Upper School, students may serve in a variety of Student Government roles, including Advisory Representatives, Fair Day Guys, Vice President, President, and other leadership positions. At Town, students are recognized and celebrated for the many ways they demonstrate leadership and contribute to the life of the school community.
Clubs
Upper School student-led clubs, held on Friday afternoons, emphasize the importance of student choice, intrinsic motivation, and community connection in fostering engagement and well-being. These non-graded, interest-based opportunities allow boys to explore their passions, collaborate with peers, and engage in authentic learning in a low-pressure environment.
Clubs support Town’s value of joy by creating space for creativity, belonging, and playful curiosity, helping students end the week feeling energized and connected to their school community. Recent club offerings have included Baking, Mentoring, Manga, Theater Tech, Service and Impact, and Yearbook.
Additional Academic Opportunities
Town students have the opportunity to further stretch academic passions through the lunchtime Mathletes program, and after school offerings of LEGO Robotics and Debate. Town has both hosted and participated in official competitions including the Julia Robinson Math Festival, First Lego League, and debate tournaments.
Affinity and Alliance Spaces
Students, parents, and guardians have opportunities to participate in optional affinity and alliance groups to further their sense of belonging. These spaces are provided to interested students from 5th through 8th grades.
School Traditions
Town is proud of its many lasting and beloved traditions that connect students across grades and celebrate the school community.
New kindergartners are welcomed hand-in-hand by eighth grade buddies during their first all-school assembly and remain paired with them throughout assemblies all year. Each February, Student Government hosts a half-day School Fair, where students enjoy festival games—some created years ago by students, others designed by current boys in the Engineering Studio—all in support of a nonprofit organization.
Students from kindergarten through eighth grade also participate in other annual events, including the Winter Concert and the Festival of the Arts. At the end of their Town journey, each eighth grader delivers a culminating speech at Graduation, marking their transition and celebrating their time in the community.