Best Buddies kicks off the year with annual pairing party

Nayonika Banerjee and Laynee Scheck • Oct 8, 2021

The Normal Community Best Buddies chapter held their annual “pairing party” on October 1— pairing 16 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with a student buddy without IDD in an effort to build one-to-one friendships.

The Best Buddies “pairing party” marks the club’s official kickoff for the year.

Before the event, advisors Mrs. Angie Cardiff, Mrs. Erin Sanders, and Mrs. Amy Vesalek reviewed the potential buddies’ applications, matching them with a student sharing similar interests.

During 5th hour, students matched types of candy —Nerds, M&Ms, Milky Ways — to discover their buddy for the year.

Each week, the students communicate with their buddy — by text, in the hallways at school, through Instagram, or FaceTime… Twice a month the pairs hang out: playing video games, watching movies, bowling…

The club is also open to associate members, who attend monthly chapter meetings and events, but do not regularly interact one-on-one with a buddy.

The new buddy pairs and associate members upcoming events include a trip to Rader Farms and attending the Oct. 8 football game together, said Cardiff.

Senior Kyle Gorman joined Best Buddies as a freshman not only to make friends, he said, but because he wanted to make sure that when his younger brother, who has Downs Syndrome, is in “high school one day he [can make] friends through Best Buddies as well.”

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About the Contributors

Nayonika Banerjee, Senior Staff Reporter

Nayonika Banerjee is a senior at Normal Community High School and is involved in Speech Team, FBLA, and Lady Iron Soccer. This is their second year of working with the Inkspot. My favorite film is "Booksmart" (2019) directed by Olivia Wilde. A random fact about me is I am deathly afraid of sharks, but they also happen to be my all time favorite animal. A slogan to live by is “YOLO” which may be cringe, but honestly it’s pretty good advice.

Laynee Scheck, Print Editor

Laynee Scheck is a senior at Normal Community High School and is a co-founder of the NCHS Mental Health Club. This is her third year working with the Inkspot, and she is a Senior Staff Reporter. If I won a million dollars I would use the money to pay for college and then travel the world. What inspires me are people that stand up for what they believe in. On the weekend, I enjoy exploring new places with my friends.