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Obituaries fitchburg sentinel8/26/2023 ![]() “As a special education teacher in a substantially-separate classroom, I want my students to get the most out of high school regardless of their ability level,” she said. Searles says that there’s nothing better than seeing a unique friendship form so naturally. I would venture to say that the Best Buddies club and classes are some of the most popular ones at FHS.” We are an inclusive group and are always welcoming new members to join. “All students need to do to join Best Buddies initially is join the Google Classroom and show up to their first meeting. “I have a Google Classroom that I update regularly with meeting information and important dates,” Searles said. Students can join Best Buddies at any point in the school year. “We have peer buddies from various different sub-groups of the high school population, such as student-athletes from all of our sports teams, Honors Academy students, students in drama and music programs, and STEM students that come together for the Best Buddies program.” “Over the years, I have seen the membership increase and the membership become more diverse,” Searles said. At the time, Best Buddies consisted of around 10 members, only two of which were students in the general-education population, she says.īut the participation numbers have continued to soar under her guidance and leadership. Searles began working at Fitchburg High in 2018. Front row, left to right: Adam Williams and Emily Diaz. Back Row, left to right: Brandon Tran, Dominic Norton, Jack Mara, Morgan Graves. For the upcoming spring semester, we are planning to attend Best Buddies Prom again, hosted by Leominster High School, participate in the Best Buddies Friendship Walk at Polar Park, host our own Special Olympics field day, and support our Unified Track team.” Participants in the Best Buddies program at Fitchburg High School enjoyed a Halloween party. “During our parties we have food, games, music and friendship. “We had festive parties for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and St. So far this year, Best Buddies has had a variety of outings, including apple picking at Hollis Hills, FunStuf indoor inflatable park and the Pottery Paintin’ place.īest Buddies loves to celebrate the holidays by throwing fun parties, as well. Sim added: “Once you enter the club you are immediately greeted with love and you make new friends within a second.” Junior Nyle Sim, who plays football and baseball at Fitchburg High, says Best Buddies is “full of positive energy and good vibes.” “I like Best Buddies because it’s fun and I get to see my friends,” he said. Ninth-grader Sam Lussier simply loves the program and the friendships it creates. The laughter and smiles from both parties is genuine and abundant.” Deven Granger and Savanna Clapper participate in the Best Buddies holiday party at Fitchburg High School. There are many days that I have been in the cafeteria during lunch and witnessed peer buddies finding their buddy and inviting them to their lunch table. “The relationships that have been built are immeasurable and cannot be contrived. “Because of the friendships that have formed between the buddies and peer buddies, the buddies are consistently greeted in the halls, at lunch and in their elective classes by their peer buddies with a warm smile and a high-five or fist bump,” Searles said. Most of these students are in substantially separate classes, meaning they do not attend academic classes with peers in their grade.īut this is where Best Buddies comes into play. The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities population at Fitchburg High varies from students with intellectual disabilities, Down Syndrome and Autism. Being a peer buddy takes a lot of dedication and responsibility, and I am proud of the peer buddies that we have at Fitchburg High.” “Peer buddies go above and beyond to learn about each individual buddy’s disability and how to interact with them both in and out of the classroom. “The students at Fitchburg High School are very welcoming with the buddies, and each year I am more and more impressed with the leadership skills that the peer buddies exhibit. “Over the past few years, the membership has significantly increased, with this year’s membership at around 35 students,” Searles said. ![]() “The program is based on matching students both with (buddies) and without (peer buddies) intellectual and developmental disabilities to create a diverse and inclusive community.”Īt Fitchburg High, Best Buddies meets after school at least twice a month. “The Best Buddies program is a club that creates friendships and promotes inclusion,” said Shelby Searles, who is a Special Education teacher at Fitchburg High. That’s the overall mission of the Best Buddies program at Fitchburg High School.
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