Join reporters Annika Martins and Jenny Shine in WSPN’s newest column: WSPN Goes Clubbing. In this Q&A style column, reporters will be interviewing different clubs at Wayland High School.
What is Best Buddies?
“Best Buddies is an international nonprofit organization that aims to create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD),” Best Buddies treasurer senior CC Haddad said. “Best Buddies has branches all around the world in workplaces, schools and colleges. At WHS, we focus on creating an inclusive school community by hosting events like ice cream socials or cooking with students who have IDD.
How did this club begin?
“The president of the club, Tina Su, has a friend who had a branch of Best Buddies at a different school in Massachusetts,” Haddad said. “She heard a ton of good things about it and thought it would be a great idea to bring it to Wayland to foster a more inclusive school community.”
Why should someone join the club?
“We have a lot of fun events,” Haddad said. “There is a friendship walk coming up in Boston that we are really excited for. [The club] is a great way to connect with students at school who you may not typically interact with.”
What are meetings like and how often are they?
“Meetings are typically once or twice a month and we just brainstorm fundraising ideas, event ideas or activities,” Haddad said. “Meetings don’t happen very often because we would rather host events. Last year, we had a really successful ice cream social and we are brainstorming more ideas for this year.”
What is one goal that you have for the club this year?
“This year, we’re trying to plan a lot more events than last year and get more people involved,” Haddad said. “We want our club members to think of spending time with the students in our school with IDD as something that is natural and fun. We definitely want to see more of our club members eating lunch with the students with IDD too.”