At the Tewksbury memorial high school, they have a club called Book Buddies. Book Buddies is a club open to every student at TMHS, led by one of the English teachers, Mr. Bourgoin. It is a group of students at the high school that gets together at least two Fridays a month and go out to elementary schools in the area to read books to the children. This club is a big hit for both the high schoolers and the children that are read to.

The club is always open for people to join, the more readers they have, the more children that will get read to. When asking Mr. Bourgoin about joining book buddies he replied, “they can come talk to me in b106 to get on the remind app that we use and register on community pass.” If a student decides they want to get more involved in the school by joining a club, book buddies would an easy one to join. The club is, “…great because it’s not too much of a commitment and its super fulfilling.” says club leader, Mr. Bourgoin. Even if a student has a busy schedule filled with sports and homework, they could still join book buddies.

Book Buddies is a very flexible club and if a member can’t make it to a meeting, all they need to do is let Mr. Bourgoin know and you’re all set. Although they usually don’t want to miss a meeting because of how much they enjoy reading to the children at the elementary schools. Another benefit of the club is that the members of book buddies get to leave school between ten to fifteen minutes early to make it to the elementary schools in time to read a couple books to the children there. When talking to a member of the club, Madison Gallant, she expressed her love of the club by saying, “I think book buddies is a fun club because it is a good time for everyone involved. The kids love getting read to, they get very excited when we come in. The students love getting out of school early on Friday afternoons to read to small kids.”

The club, book buddies, is very beneficial to both the high school students and the elementary students involved. The high schoolers not only get to leave school early, but they also get the experience of reading to and working with young kids, which would be very helpful for students considering a career in education. It also counts as community service hours and looks desirable on college applications. It is also a good experience for the children that are read to. It gets them more experience with literature and furthermore, it is a relaxing way for them to end a busy school week.

Book buddies has been a very popular club for many years now, and even with a couple of changes that have happened in the past year, members seem just as dedicated as ever. They either drive themselves or take the bus driven by Mr. Bourgoin to read to the kids whatever Friday the elementary teachers request them. They almost always end up with pleased teachers, happy high school students, and relaxed children. This club positively affects everyone involved and would be beneficial to join.