As the school year continues to become more busy and clubs more active, Best Buddies has a lot planned for the months to come. The club has an amazing board of students and educators working to make events happen. Some events that have taken place this past September and October include fall festivities, pumpkin painting, and apple picking.

Mrs. Sciarappa, one of the clubs co advisors, remembers that “during covid there were so many opportunities to participate with BB online”.

These kinds of opportunities are so important because as Mrs. Sciarappa says, “I know that for high school students, no matter who they are, having contacts with other people and making connections with other people is really important.”

Members of the Best Buddies office include: Sofia Bruno’22 as Co President, Esther Mao’22 as Co president, Sean Tam’22 as secretary, and Taylor Fredman’22 as treasurer.

Tam shares, “It [Best Buddies] taught me empathy… because that friendship is so special…you can get rid of all the high school formalities because it’s so genuine. I’m so grateful for this.”

The Best Buddies slogan is “More than just a Club.”

Mao says, “I think it’s a really awesome community because I think we really live up to our more than just a club thing. I think all our friendships go way beyond the club activities.”

One tradition she and her peer buddy Jonathan Xu’22 have is to annually decorate a Christmas tree.

Similarly, when asked how the club impacts Bruno states, “I think it has been the most valuable thing from my highschool experiences…it changes my whole mindset…i’m not isolated.”

Bruno met her peer buddy Cristel Alam ’22 in elementary school and were paired together freshman year. Their favorite things to do are get ice cream and try different places for food.

One of the biggest events Best Buddies has planned is the annual Halloween dance. The dance will take place on October 29 and people wear halloween costumes. Tam and Fredman are both very excited for the dance, and fondly remember the ones from their freshman and sophomore years which had lots of dancing and fun.

Seasonal events seem to be club favorites, and there is a lot of excitement for not only the dance but the upcoming Thanksgiving event as well. Best Buddies also has some repeating events planned like cupcake decorating, movie nights, and a food drive that have all been super successful in the past.

One thing to be said about the club is that you get so many positive things out of it from just being a member, which makes the club unique.

Fredman says about BB in general that it’s “a great experience… everyones always happy to be there.. I don’t get that experience in other places school related.”