Beaver Meadow School
Contact:
Susan Robichaud, Teacher
Beaver Meadow School, 40 Sewalls Falls Road, Concord, NH 03301
E-mail: srobic@csd.k12.nh.us
Beaver Meadow School's Buddy Program
(a winner of the 1999 Law Day Activity Awards)
Activity Summary:
The Buddy Program is a year-long LRE program created by Susan Robichaud specifically
for the early elementary grades. The culmination of the program was the 1999 Law Day
component which included student essays on “freedom,” an original “Law Day
Fable” and original dances to “Celebrate Your Freedom.” Two professional
dancers taught the second graders original dances to the themes of liberty, freedom and
respect for others. The event culminated in a song and dance performance by the second
graders for their parents, the law firm and all of the school’s kindergarten through
second grade students and teachers.
Activity Narrative:
Background: The Buddy Program was developed by Susan Robichaud, a first and
second grade teacher at the Beaver Meadow School in Concord, New Hampshire, as an
outgrowth of two Law-Related Education (LRE) programs, Law Day and Lawyer in Every
Classroom.
Although she was intrigued by the LRE concept, Ms. Robichaud realized from the
materials and the workshops that the various LRE programs as they were designed, did not
meet the needs of emergent readers. Ms. Robichaud wanted to be sure that those concepts
which are needed to develop good reading and writing skills were included. Undeterred, she
decided to develop an LRE program for her 1997-98 first grade class of 20 children and
asked Attorney Wolowitz if his law office, with about 20 employees, would be willing to be
“guinea pigs” for her first of a kind LRE program. The program was a resounding
success and continued with her 1998-1999 second grade class.
Adopting Buddies: . Early in the school year, Ms. Robichaud developed a simple
questionnaire for each child to complete providing such basic information as his or her
name, birth date, likes and dislikes, etc. The categories were printed onto posters and
each child, using the writing process techniques of rough copy, editing and rewriting,
created an informational document about themselves. Ms. Robichaud then attached the
child’s photograph and a drawing by the child and laminated the poster. All of the
posters were then forwarded to the Portsmouth McLane office. The employees of the
Portsmouth McLane office each selected a buddy to “adopt” for the school year.
Each took a student’s poster and placed it in his or her work area, often on the wall
above the desk or the office door.
Communicating by E-mail:After selecting a buddy, each Portsmouth McLane employee
(including attorneys, paralegals and support staff) wrote a brief letter of introduction
and sent it via e-mail. This began a year-long series of e-mail communications back and
forth between the students and their McLane buddies.
Curriculum:. For educational purposes, Ms. Robichaud integrated the Buddy
Program into her teaching curriculum. She consulted state curriculum mandates and created
activities and events that would involve legal concepts and the McLane buddies while
meeting state educational requirements.
Cementing Ties: Throughout the school year, the students communicated with their
McLane buddies by e-mail and, on special occasions, by drawings and hand written notes. At
Christmas, the students made decorations which their McLane buddies put up in the McLane
office reception area. Photographs of the decorated reception area were sent to the
students. The students, in return, sent photos of their decorated classroom. Cultural
differences were taken into consideration. At Hanukkah and Passover, students sent
Attorney Wolowitz special drawings and messages concerning the Jewish holidays.
As the year progressed, the buddies’ relationship grew. The McLane buddies learned
of the students’ lost teeth, sibling rivalries, school accomplishments and childhood
dreams. They also received and responded to multiple questions from curious and
uninhibited six and seven year olds. Consequently, the McLane buddies found themselves
responding to inquiries about age (“You have gray hair, are you 100?”), finances
(“Are all lawyers rich?”), intelligence (“Are you as smart as I am?”),
and every other imaginable subject. The questions were endearing, amusing and challenging.
Law Day, 1999: The Buddy Program is now in its second year. One of the original
highlights is the Law Day Program. This year, Ms. Robichaud made a special effort to
increase the focus on the Law Day theme of “Celebrate You Freedom” and direct
student involvement. The law firm arranged for a grant (about $300) from the New Hampshire
Governor’s Counsel on the Arts to finance a two day visit by two professional dancers
from the Portsmouth Ballet Theatre Workshop. In advance, the students wrote brief essays
on freedom.
Law Day commenced with educators and members of the law firm acting out an original Law
Day Fable written for the occasion. Students spent the remainder of the day learning three
original dances with themes about freedom and an original song about respect for others.
On the second day, Ms. Robichaud’s second grade class performed the original song and
three dances to an audience of over 350, including parents, educators and students.
Everyone had a great time.
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