Blue Bird Buddies Michelle Tankesley

The Vision
The inspiration for this Capstone Project came
from the idea that every person has something they
were destined to do with their lives. Personally, I am
destined to make a difference in at least one childs
life. The main goal of this project is to bring two
groups of individuals together, who would not
normally have the opportunity to interact with each
other. Blue Bird Buddies will pair one volunteer from
James River High School with one student in the
Learning Lab Program at Bettie Weaver Elementary.
The Learning Lab at Bettie Weaver Elementary is a
program that encompasses the classes that their
students who have disabilities take. At James River
High School the special needs students have limited
opportunities to interact with the student body. This
program will break the barriers between these two
groups that have been built over the years.
Blue Bird Buddies will also provide a stable
role model for each of the students. The volunteers
will be very positive and encouraging to help facilitate
the best learning environment possible. These
students need someone to look up to, someone
relatable; their buddies will be this person for them.
Blue Bird Buddies will help fill these gaps and any
other gaps that may exist in the childrens lives.
Objectives and Involvement
Blue Bird Buddies will go to Bettie Weaver
Elementary School once a week to work with a class of
eleven fourth graders who have disabilities. This will start
in October and go through December. After winter break a
new set of volunteers will be found because of the
volunteers spring commitments. The new group of
volunteers will start in January and end in March. The
volunteers will arrive at Bettie Weaver Elementary at 2:15.
When they arrive, they will be given the lesson plan for this
week, the lesson plan will be reviewed with them and they
can ask any questions during this time. At 2:30 they will go
back to the classroom with the students and teach them
the lesson plan until 3:00. The lesson plan will be
submitted to the teacher a week in advance to make sure it
is approved, and utilizes all instructional time. The
curriculum will focus on reading, because this class has
particular challenges with reading.
To insure that my volunteers will be committed,
they will have to fill out an application and sign a contract
stating that they will be there every week. These children
will need structure and they may feel let down or
abandoned if their volunteer does not come one week.
Therefore, the volunteers cannot miss a week of this
program unless there is an emergency.




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Outline

Times- 2:15-3:00

Dates- October through December, and
January through March

Number of Students- Eleven students

Number of Volunteers- Eleven volunteers

Curriculum- Reading skills

Day of the Week- Tuesday

Volunteers Responsibility- Working one on
one with the children helping them learn
reading skills. Be a role model and mentor
for a Learning Lab student, develop a
friendship and bond with his or her student
to instill trust and confidence.

Advisor- Kathryn Ferrante





Blue Bird Buddies Project Summary


Blue Bird Buddies
Challenges and Solutions
The largest obstacle facing Blue Bird Buddies is receiving enough dedicated volunteers to work with the
students. To make sure all of the volunteers are going to be reliable and the right fit for this project, they will have to
complete an application. On that application the volunteers will need to provide their schedule, and sign a contract
guaranteeing they will participate every week unless there is an emergency. Their teachers will be contacted and their
feedback on the student will be taken into consideration. If an emergency does arise, another volunteer will be found to
replace them for that week. If that is not possible I will work with that particular student for the week.

The Benefits of Blue Bird Buddies
Every child needs to know that they have someone supporting them, and someone to look up to. Blue Bird
Buddies will supply these essentials that every child deserves. A strong role model can be an inspiration and give these
children a goal to aspire to. The bonds that these students will build with the volunteers will be something that
completely affects their lives in a positive way. Through this program they will receive one on one help. One on one
help is next to impossible for teachers to do because there are so many students in a classroom. One on one help also
gives the students chances to ask many questions and learn at their own pace, which will help the students retain the
information better.
The volunteers will also be deeply affected by this program through the relationship they form every week.
When the volunteers watch the children learn something and seeing the spark in his or her eye when it clicks is the
most rewarding feeling you can imagine. The volunteers will get to see this spark every week. As the bond grows, they
will know they are needed by their student, and every human being needs to know they are needed in some way. One
goal for this project is to destroy any uncomfortable or awkward feelings toward the students who have disabilities and
the other students at the school. These eleven volunteers will start to feel comfortable interacting with the Learning Lab
students at Bettie Weaver Elementary School. When they do this it will start a chain reaction at James River High
School and soon it will become and even more diverse learning environment.



Man, Woman or Child, we can all have a
profound impact on those around us. We can
change the world, one person at a time!
Kevin Heath
Blue Bird Buddies
Michelle Tankesley

The Center for Leadership and International
Relations
James River High School





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