Hempfield's Spartan to Spartan program gives high school students a chance to teach

Susan Barbe-Stas knew if she wanted to make this school year worthwhile then she couldn’t dwell on the cancellation of Hempfield Area High School’s preschool program.

Knowing students in her child development class would not be working with students at Little Spartan Preschool, the family and consumer sciences and preschool teacher quickly got to work creating the Spartan to Spartan program, where high school students virtually assist in teaching elementary students in the district.

“This is much more than a teaching experience. This has been an expression in humanity,” Barbe-Stas said. “This pandemic became a fork in the road for my classroom. We could have sat around and complained, or we could rise up and help those around us within our community. The students chose to rise.”

At the beginning of the program, high school students were paired with an elementary teacher in kindergarten through second grade, who communicates the goals and academic needs of each student and class. From there, students prepare lessons that will be taught every other day over Google Meet to the entire class or to individual students.

The lessons cover several areas, including letters, phonics, high-frequency words, sight words, story and plot and guided reading, as well as other topics if requested by the teacher.

“My high school students also help and collaborate with each other,” Barbe-Stas said. “We refer to this effort as team read. Our ultimate goal is to assist the elementary teachers in educating their students.”

The other goal, Barbe-Stas said, is to show students that “we believe in them and their ability to learn.”

While the program is catered toward teaching elementary students, it also provides high school students with an outlet to apply child development and psychology skills learned in class, while sharpening communication and leadership skills.

In its first year, there are 25 teachers representing the district’s five elementary schools as well as the Hempfield Area Cyber Academy and 100 high school students participating in the program, Barbe-Stas said.

During last week’s school board meeting, sophomore Angela Long told administrators that joining the Spartan to Spartan program was a way for her to explore a possible career path while helping to promote learning in the district.

“Partnering in Spartan to Spartan has been the best decision I have made in high school,” Long said. “Teaching and interacting with these students has been amazing.”

Natalie Lippa, a junior, echoed similar sentiments, adding, “I love making an impact on these young students in our program.”

Looking back on the success of the Spartan to Spartan program in its first year, Barbe-Stas said she is hopeful the program will continue in future years, noting the “solid foundation” built during the first seven weeks of the program.

“I have to say it is the most amazing thing I’ve experienced in my career, and the high school students have risen to this challenge and I am overwhelmed by what they have done,” she said.