Best Buddies, a student-run club at Cypress High School, fosters relationships between students with disabilities and the general education community.
Emily Whiting, the club’s advisor and special education teacher, gave insight on the goings-on of the club. “It’s common for students with disabilities to have a hard time making friends, so it’s awesome to give them the opportunity to be included. ” she shared. When reflecting on the positive impact of Best Buddies on the Cypress High community, she explained that “while students with disabilities get to make friends and expand their relationships at school, the club notably has a positive impact on the general ed population who don’t often have much experience with students with disabilities.”
As the club’s adviser says, she “[serves] as the liaison between the students with disabilities and the Best Buddies board. [She helps] with coming up with ideas that will be of interest to [the] students and support them with the budget.” The club is mostly student-run, with the board being in charge of handling the meetings and events. In support, she makes efforts to embolden the student board to be creative and come up with fresh, fun ideas.
Something Best Buddies hopes to accomplish in the next few years is to attract more students, while giving them the incentive to stay committed throughout the whole school year. “We usually have a lot of members at the beginning of the school year, and then attendance declines by the end of the year, so we want students to stay committed throughout the whole year,” says Whiting.
Whiting’s favorite part of being Best Buddies’ adviser is that it leaves many lasting impressions on her students and the general education population at Cypress. “I love watching my students grow in the amount of relationships and connections they have at school, and I like hearing how families are impacted and thankful for their students getting more of a ‘quintessential’ high school experience.” she stated. Her favorite event for Best Buddies is the annual Best Buddies Prom. “My favorite event, and I think this is pretty universal, is Best Buddies Prom, which is usually held in the first week of May.” This event is open to Best Buddies members, as well as any Cypress students interested in attending. Best Buddies Prom is held “either at Cypress Community Center or Cypress Senior Center.” However, some students might describe Halloween Movie Night as their favorite event, making both Best Buddies Prom and Halloween Movie Night the most beloved events.
If you are interested in what this club has to offer, Best Buddies meets every other Thursday in the Media Center, with the next meeting being held on February 13th.
