As some seniors are finishing up their Genius Projects, others are still figuring it out. But, no matter where they are in the process, their newly acquired accountabilibuddies will be by their sides.

Accountabilibuddies is a new program where teachers and staff at Sage Creek can volunteer to be a student’s buddy. By doing so, they try their best to keep their buddy accountable for what they need to get done to stay on track to complete their Genius Project.

“Our past two years of genius project students told us that [they] felt like they needed more people to hold them accountable for making progress, so incorporating more ways that our students could feel supported was a big thing this year,” English teacher Sarah Hunter said.

During one of the Genius Project Team’s meetings, many ideas were brainstormed but ultimately, Accountabilibuddies was decided on.  As part of the program, seniors are required to email their assigned accountabilibuddy regular updates.

At the beginning of the school year, teachers and staff received a long list of all the seniors who needed an accountabilibuddy and they got to go through and choose students to hold accountable.

“I just started picking everyone,” math teacher Dominic Manente said, “The English department and the school has worked on incorporating the genius project into other aspects and disciplines. That’s not always easy to do, but I’m really excited about this opportunity.”

One of Manente’s accountabilibuddies, senior Audrey Azzeh, was hesitant in the beginning to the new program.

“At first I was like this might be a little much, we already have our mentors and we talk to our teachers about [our projects so] why would we need someone who wasn’t in the English department,” Azzeh said, “ But it’s been so good.”

Azzeh has found that by having an accountabilibuddy that is not in the English department has made them more curious.

“He has helped me so much with just sitting down and listening to my ideas and help[ing] me expand on them,” Azzeh said.

Ultimately, the goal is to give seniors an extra layer of encouragement throughout their Genius journey.

“I don’t always have the most practical experience in terms of the projects they want to complete,” Manente said, “but I do bring a lot of enthusiasm and hopefully a supportive year for them.”