By Bishop Foster

When I was in Lower School at Collegiate, I spent most of my afternoons in Collegiate’s after-school program, Cougar Quest. Almost every weekday, after school was over, I would go to Cougar Quest to do my homework, as well as spend time with my friends. Cougar Quest and its counselors taught me many life lessons and helped form some of my strongest friendships, which are still going today. I have many memories of Cougar Quest and recently wondered how it has changed since I last attended it eight years ago. 

After school ends for the Lower Schoolers, Cougar Quest begins. The 3rd and 4th Graders start off inside, where they have study hall, where the children have an hour dedicated to getting their homework done. While the 3rd and 4th Graders are inside, the Kindergarteners, 1st, and 2nd Graders have free time, where they can participate in various activities, such as basketball, tag, and field games. After the 3rd and 4th Graders’ study hall is over, the Kindergarteners, 1st, and 2nd Graders go inside for their study hall time, and the 3rd and 4th Graders go outside for their free time. Once the Kindergarteners, 1st, and 2nd graders are finished with their study hall time, the inside of Cougar Quest becomes open to all the children, allowing them to do even more activities, such as playing foosball, role-playing games, and video games. The children can stay up until 6 p.m.

At 3:40 daily, Monday through Friday, the Lower School students who attend Cougar Quest are met by four Upper School student counselors, who are divided between each age group. Omar Lanneau (‘25) started working at Cougar Quest during his Sophomore year, working with Kindergarteners. Since then, he has worked his way up and works with 3rd and 4th Graders. As an employee of Cougar Quest, Lanneau supervises the children as they play, as well as helping them with homework during their study hall time. He describes working at Cougar Quest as “very engaging.” Lanneau stated that while working at Cougar Quest, he has tried his best to “learn everyone’s names and their habits,” not just for the children in his group, but for all the children.

Eric Lanning (‘26) started working at Cougar Quest this year and is working with the Junior Kindergarten students. Lanning arrives at the Junior Kindergarten Center around 3:40 each day: “When I arrive, the Junior Kindergarteners are usually running around, having fun.” They have play time for about an hour, then at 4:30, they have a ten-minute snack period. They then continue to play until 5:00, when Lanning and the Junior Kindergarteners go over to the Cougar Quest Center, where they can continue to play until 6:00. Lanning describes the job as “very hands-on.”

Cougar Quest treats both employees and children with great care. Lanneau says that “though I enjoy working with the kids, it can be tiring at times.” To combat this feeling, Cougar Quest has a room filled with snacks for the employees only. Lanneau says that he typically goes to the “snack room” to regain energy so that he can “give the children the attention they need.” Lanning states that he enjoys working at Cougar Quest and that the “environment is very inclusive and healthy.” Both Lanneau and Lanning enjoy working at Cougar Quest and recommend the job for other Upper School students.