Standing on stage, microphone in hand, seniors Ella Berry and Kiele Madison speak to kids at Garden Road Elementary. As two of the Titan Ambassadors, their job is to visit elementary schools to help with events, perform skits, do lunch visits, bond with kids, and speak at assemblies.
Advised by photo teacher Aaron Jaffee and counselor Jamie Brown, ambassadors participate in around 7 events per month, excluding lunch visits.
This is Jaffe’s third year handling the ambassador program. “We definitely have a group that’s a good mix, everyone’s outgoing when they need to be, we have some really kind humans” Jaffe says. The goal of the program is to build relationships with elementary students and let them know that there are students in high school who can support them and teach them new things.
Jaffe became a part of the program because when he was in high school he did not feel connected and did not enjoy school, so he set out to improve others’ experiences. “Maybe I can help link someone with the little kid version of me, that person that’s struggling to find a connection,” Jaffe said. Jaffe believes that this year’s ambassadors are all really good humans, a core trait to becoming one.
Their goal is to be examples for the younger kids, get them excited for high school in the future, and make elementary school fun.
Berry describes her experience as something she has been wanting to do for a while, it can be tough but she and the other ambassadors have a great team bond.
She said her favorite event so far has been visiting Garden Road and doing lunch visits because she knows a lot of kids there and they are all very excited when ambassadors arrive. Berry’s reason for becoming an ambassador was her experience as an elementary student.
“When I moved, the ambassadors came and visited us a lot. They had a positive impact on me and so I kind of wanted to have that same positive impact on kids.”
Madison, shares a similar experience, She signed up because she loves working with kids and remembers how much the ambassadors helped when she was in elementary school. “It’s been super fun. It’s been my favorite part of senior year, sometimes it’s hard to balance with academics, but teachers are understanding.”
Her favorite activity so far has been the Bubble Fun Run, an event in which the ambassadors ran and cheered on the kids at the fundraiser for Tierra Bonita Elementary School. Madison said she loved interacting with other ambassadors, as well as running the activity and encouraging the kids.
By visiting elementary students, our school ambassadors are helping to inspire and connect with the next generation. One of their upcoming events is holidays with heroes, where they give gifts to kids and help them get all the school supplies they need.
