On Friday, Kindergarten teachers Mrs. Hannigan and Mrs. Wilson, and 4th-grade teachers Mrs. Laz and Mrs. Bersaw launched their Reading Buddy program. Every other week, Kindergartners and 4th-grade Mountaineers will meet in the Library for DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time, one of BES’ school-wide literacy initiatives this year. Each meetup, Kindergarteners will select books for their 4th-grade book buddies to read aloud to them. The students were excited to start the buddy program, with 4th-graders feeling proud to be in a mentorship role and Kindergartners experiencing the joy of being read to by an older Mountaineer.