Jackson Academy has long believed that the Alpha and Omega pairings of seniors and kindergartners provide lasting benefits. Sometimes, buddies keep in touch throughout adulthood. Recently, two buddies—Robert Crisler ’16 and current student Caden Callison—reconnected through ninth-grade football.
When he learned that JA was seeking a young alum to join the volunteer coaching team, Crisler approached Athletic Director Brandt Walker to assist. As the season began, neither Crisler nor Caden thought about Alpha and Omega. Still, it didn’t take long for them to reconnect.
“We had our kickoff party at the beginning of the season, and he heard someone say my full name, and he realized that I was his buddy,” said Caden. “He came to me and reminded me, and that’s when the memories came back.”
Alpha and Omega is an enduring JA tradition where seniors and kindergarteners are paired throughout the year. Regular activities let the pairs develop friendships, with the older student acting as a mentor and the younger one reminding the older of the joy of learning and childhood.
In the current program, seniors and kindergarten students meet in the fall at Crazy Sock Day. They find their buddy by searching for someone wearing matching socks, which all have been given in advance. Throughout the year, Alpha and Omega buddies interview one another, make and receive drawings, trick or treat at campus offices, have pizza on the football field, and enjoy other activities. At the seniors’ final chapel in May, kindergarten buddies sing a friendship song to their seniors on the stage of the PAC, bringing a tender close to the year and a fond farewell.
There is a saying attributed to Maya Angelou that you won’t remember what someone said or did, but you will remember how they made you feel. Caden can attest to that: “I don’t fully remember everything we did, but I do remember that it made me feel happy to have someone looking out for me and caring about me.”
Crisler still has the note Caden wrote for him and the gift Caden’s parents gave him. And reconnecting with JA has been very special for him.
“It’s a gratifying experience,” Crisler said about returning to JA. In fact, the financial representative has enjoyed it so much that he is applying to JA’s substitute teacher list. He encourages any alum who has a chance to volunteer or work with the school to do so. He values the perspective of the school he has gained from being at JA as an adult.
As many students do, Caden looks forward to his turn being a senior Alpha and Omega buddy. “I’m excited to see that future and have that experience,” he said.
Tomorrow, current members of Alpha and Omega will meet during their break to trick-or-treat together throughout the campus offices for their October activity.
