Smiles galore, flowing through the door. The room fills with laughter and chatter as everyone gathers for the first meeting of the year. Members of Best Buddies were eager to start a new year of activities. This club pairs students together so they can build relationships throughout the school year.

“Best Buddies is really about coming together as a community and getting people to make friendships with one another with and without disabilites,” special education teacher and Best Buddies sponsor Daniel Cox said. “It is about people really seeing you for who you are.”

This sense of community is something that makes Best Buddies stand out in the crowd. The friendships this club builds are lasting.

“My favorite part is when any kid smiles,” Cox said. “Once I see that these kids are happy and interacting with their peers, I know we are doing the right thing.”

Students are organized into pairs and these buddies attend all the activities together. Each set of buddies also meets at least once a month outside of school to do something fun together.

“The entire club is based on friendship and inclusion, two things that general education students receive every day,” president and senior Hallie Dumas said. “It’s a special organization that is different from other clubs.”

By the end of the year, the buddies have a close-knit relationship and are having a blast every time they go out. The club has several events throughout the year including its own winter formal and prom. The prom is the most popular event and everyone dances their heart out.

“Students who have special needs are part of the community,” Cox said. “Making them more of a part of the community strengthens the community and allows everyone to grow.”

Students can still be involved in the club without being paired up with someone. These members can join in on the fun by attending all the events, parties and just hanging out with everyone.

“It is a really good eye opening experience to work with kids with special needs because they may have disabilities we do not really encounter on our day to day basis,” senior and secretary Lee Rodenbaugh said.

The pre-match party is a meet and greet that builds up to the official match party. Buddies are matched based on similar personalities as well as who gets along with whom and then the pairs are revealed at the match party. These parties are exciting because it is the beginning of new friendships and nobody knows exactly where it will take them.

“When I got matched, I got a one-on-one friendship,” treasurer and senior Danielle Anderson said. “But it was so much more than that. Seeing them in an environment that’s not in school, I feel so fulfilled. They’re just so joyful and so fun.”

When hanging out, the pairs have fun together whether they go out to the movies or out to eat. Meeting outside of school does a lot to help strengthen these friendships because you can learn a lot about someone by seeing them in different environments.

“In Best Buddies you get to see how people change,” Dumas said. “Getting to see that in action has just been one of the coolest learning experiences of my life and I’m excited to get to see it again this year.”

It brings so much to the West community and gives back to everyone involved.

“It is the greatest club with the most smiles on campus,” Rodenbaugh said.