Last spring, Centennial piloted the “Little Eagle Big Eagle” student mentoring program, and this year it was expanded to two elementary schools: Meadows and Powell Butte.
Little Eagle Big Eagle pairs high school mentors (Big Eagles) with elementary students (Little Eagles) for weekly lunch and recess sessions, building relationships, and peer problem-solving.
This year, around 40 Big Eagles volunteered at Meadows and Powell Butte elementary schools, engaging with over 50 Little Eagles. The program is highly valued, with Little Eagles eagerly anticipating their sessions and benefiting from positive, undivided attention from their Big Eagles.
Kris Dowell, Centennial’s Youth Transition Specialist, played a pivotal role in the conception, development, and implementation of the Little Eagle Big Eagle program. She shared that this program supports well-rounded youth development and allows students to give back.
A perfect example of this is Brittany Espinoza, a Centennial High School senior, who served as both an intern and a Big Eagle for the program this past year. Espinoza, who was in kindergarten when Dowell served at Powell Butte Elementary years ago, had the unique opportunity to help build the program alongside Dowell.
"Being an intern and learning the behind-the-scenes aspects of the program really interested me," says Espinoza. "It was another leadership role for me, and I love being part of leadership."
Grace Littig, social worker for Centennial School District, supported Dowell with the logistics of launching the program and developing the training curriculum. The program, which aims for Big Eagles to serve as positive role models for elementary students, focuses on social-emotional skills such as demonstrating empathy, listening, problem-solving, and having fun.
Big Eagle Gabby and Little Eagle Ngan enjoy lunch together at Powell Butte Elementary.
“They get a chance to see themselves as leaders,” says Littig. “High schoolers are celebrities; the kids get so excited. There’s a buzz in the air when our big kids show up at the elementary school.”
The program is inspiring some Big Eagles to pursue internships and a career in education. “Four of our Big Eagles were announced as Multnomah Rising Educators and will be participating in paid internships this summer,” says Dowell. “We are realizing this is providing a nice pathway for rising educators as well.”
Espinoza shares, “Doing Little Eagle Big Eagle made me want to work with kids even more than I knew I already wanted to, so next year I want to work as an Educational Assistant.” Espinoza plans to go to college to pursue a degree in education and child development.
In the 2024-25 school year, the plan is to take the first step in making this program an actual class for high school students, where they can earn elective credit connected to student leadership.
The future of the Little Eagle Big Eagle program is promising!
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