Alex Murley
The new 2014-2015 year at Germantown High brought many new things, one of these being a new club called Best Buddies.
Best Buddies, created in 1989, is a foundation spread among the 50 states that intermingles and socializes disabled students with teens and other adult peers to create long lasting friendships. Best Buddies started with one chapter in a school, basically a startup club, and now has been spread throughout 50 countries and states and has almost 1,700 chapters.
Found in middle schools, high schools, and colleges, Best Buddies has made a great impact in the lives of numerous special children, adults, and their peer buddies too.
In the Germantown chapter of Best Buddies, sophomore Sara Mayers is a board member and a peer buddy herself.
“Best Buddies creates lasting friendships; it helps the students find things to do in normal environments with peers, like during lunch, in school, out of school, texting, calling; it really is a fun way to make friends,” Mayers stated.
In the Best Buddy program, there is a match-maker type form to help find peer and student buddy matches among the group.
“We have 16 matches, so 32 people involved with a buddy. We picked these with the help of the online match test from the Best Buddies website, and through availability and interest forms as well,” Mayers explained.
Not only does the club have fun friendships, but they celebrate holidays with various parties as well.
“My favorite thing about the Thanksgiving party was jumping on the trampoline and my friends,” said senior Kira Thomas.
The impact goes well beyond the one-time parties.
“I had fun too at the party with my buddy Lauren; she’s my best friend now. I like best buddies,” explained Mariama Jallow, an 11th grade buddy.
Moving forward, Mayers has plans to help develop these relationships.
“In the future we will go to basketball games, hockey games and organize a group event in the following months,” Mayers stated.
The impact on all students is what makes Best Buddies such a rapidly growing program.
“I’ve gained my buddy Brooke from this experience. We’ve become good friends. I’ve learned more patience skills from working with all the students or just organization skills too from being one of the board members,” Mayers explained.
Even Sara’s buddy agrees
“I like Best Buddies very well. I’ve made friends from it. Some of my favorite things to do with it is to watch movies and eat pizza with Sara, my buddy,” Brooke Bowen, a buddy returning after her senior year, stated.
The new 2014-2015 year at Germantown High brought many new things, one of these being a new club called Best Buddies.
Best Buddies, created in 1989, is a foundation spread among the 50 states that intermingles and socializes disabled students with teens and other adult peers to create long lasting friendships. Best Buddies started with one chapter in a school, basically a startup club, and now has been spread throughout 50 countries and states and has almost 1,700 chapters.
Found in middle schools, high schools, and colleges, Best Buddies has made a great impact in the lives of numerous special children, adults, and their peer buddies too.
In the Germantown chapter of Best Buddies, sophomore Sara Mayers is a board member and a peer buddy herself.
“Best Buddies creates lasting friendships; it helps the students find things to do in normal environments with peers, like during lunch, in school, out of school, texting, calling; it really is a fun way to make friends,” Mayers stated.
In the Best Buddy program, there is a match-maker type form to help find peer and student buddy matches among the group.
“We have 16 matches, so 32 people involved with a buddy. We picked these with the help of the online match test from the Best Buddies website, and through availability and interest forms as well,” Mayers explained.
Not only does the club have fun friendships, but they celebrate holidays with various parties as well.
“My favorite thing about the Thanksgiving party was jumping on the trampoline and my friends,” said senior Kira Thomas.
The impact goes well beyond the one-time parties.
“I had fun too at the party with my buddy Lauren; she’s my best friend now. I like best buddies,” explained Mariama Jallow, an 11th grade buddy.
Moving forward, Mayers has plans to help develop these relationships.
“In the future we will go to basketball games, hockey games and organize a group event in the following months,” Mayers stated.
The impact on all students is what makes Best Buddies such a rapidly growing program.
“I’ve gained my buddy Brooke from this experience. We’ve become good friends. I’ve learned more patience skills from working with all the students or just organization skills too from being one of the board members,” Mayers explained.
Even Sara’s buddy agrees
“I like Best Buddies very well. I’ve made friends from it. Some of my favorite things to do with it is to watch movies and eat pizza with Sara, my buddy,” Brooke Bowen, a buddy returning after her senior year, stated.