STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Carver Elementary School 5th grader Aiden Joyner
Tutors and mentors schoolmates
Posted: February 19, 2025
Aiden Joyner stays busy every school day, arriving ready to fully experience learning with his teachers and fellow students.
Joyner, a 5th grader at Carver Elementary School, helps out in extra ways throughout his grade level and his entire school. His dedication to schoolwork and good behavior spreads to those around him because of his sharing nature.
"Because if you don't listen to what the teacher is saying, and if you get that same question on the test, you'll probably get it wrong," Joyner said.
Joyner actively supports his classmates as a peer tutor and mentors kindergarten students at his school.
"If they miss some days or they're absent for a test, we can help them study and get them caught up on work," Joyner said.
Before things get started in the morning, Joyner gets computers out to ready them for other students, unstack chairs in the classroom and greet students. He also will step out of his classroom to check on one of those kindergarten students on their way to their classroom.
"He's very kind to others, which you can see by the way he interacts with other students," said Catina Billups, a 5th grade teacher at Carver. "He has a desire for everyone to learn and to be included. I have a collab class and he is very attentive to students and their uniqueness, very much so."
In his science class, Joyner takes on a leadership role by organizing and setting up materials for experiments, ensuring everything runs smoothly for his fellow students. His positive attitude and teamwork make him a go-to student when it comes to keeping the classroom environment organized and productive.
"I just like getting everything set up and I'm very organized," Joyner said.
Helping with the setup also helps him learn, he added. During science lessons done in rotations, he serves as a group leader to help students with the unit they're studying.
His favorite subjects are reading, science and math. A study tip that he shared is to take breaks throughout the day, including at lunchtime.
Outside of the classroom, Joyner is a talented flute player with Soundscapes. He also enjoys video games, talking with friends and practicing his flute.
"I like Soundscapes and doing my reading test," Joyner said. "I like the planets and forced motion and energy."
When asked what makes Carver great, Joyner answered the teachers, the events that happen there and the principal and assistant principal "because they're representing the school."
What else should people know about him?
"That I'm a smart kid and I listen to my teachers and I don't misbehave," Joyner said.
Visit Student Spotlights on the Newport News Public Schools website.
