Sandy Spring Friends School is special in that students can start their SSFS education in preschool at age three, and stay through high school graduation after 12th grade. Because we have students in preschool through 12th grade all on the same campus, deliberate positive connections are able to be made between students in the Lower School and other divisions on campus. For example, our preschool through 1st grade students have Upper School “Senior Buddies.” Each student is paired with one or two members of the Senior class, and the groups get together to meet, play, and get to know one another at several regularly-scheduled times throughout the school year. In addition, Upper School interns volunteer hours within the Lower School each year, and Upper School math students participate in a Lower School/Upper School Math Buddy Program. Middle School students help run the Lower School Field Day in the spring, and Middle School committees also provide opportunities to get to know Lower School students. All-school events such as Community Day in the fall, Our People, Our Planet Day in the spring, and all-school assemblies and pep rallies throughout the year also provide opportunities for cross-divisional interactions.