With music playing and laughter echoing, special education students and their buddies sang and danced as they laid the groundwork for a year built on connection and success. The Best Buddies club hosted its annual Match Party on Sept. 26 to pair participating special education students with general education buddies. According to event planner Reese Monk (11), the dance party was the highlight of the night.
“After the planned things like the slide show and the games to get to know each other, we all naturally went to the back and created a little dance circle, and had a conga line going,” said Monk.
The special education teacher, Heidrick Barnes, feels that the purpose of the Match Party is to establish friendships between general education and special education students for the school year. The event included introductory table games, a slideshow overviewing the club’s events for the year, and dinner for the attendees.
Vice President Allie Vieux (11) said the club leaders used a unique approach for the buddy reveal, incorporating a game connected to the Rio Homecoming theme. Each student received a colorful feather and searched the room for their buddy with the same color feather as them.
“We do this [party] every year because one of the main purposes of Best Buddies is that you have a one-on-one friendship between someone with a disability and then someone in general education,” Vieux said.
Buddy pairs are not chosen randomly; they are pre-selected through the interviews conducted by the Best Buddies club members with the special education students, regarding who they would see themselves matching with based on their common interests and goals for the year. Vieux said that the matching process was tricky, as the club officers wanted to provide everyone with the best match possible.
“We planned the party early on, since the beginning of the school year, because it’s a lot harder than you’d think,” Vieux said. “We had to hold interviews and then make sure that they can commit to that kind of time,”
According to Monk, some students may feel scared to form new friendships or approach someone they don’t know. However, the event helps address this through pre-selecting the buddy, eliminating the nerves of being left alone.
“A lot of times, I feel like people are scared because they don’t know who to reach out to, but then once you have this pair, you’re like, ‘Oh, perfect, I’m going to put my attention towards this person,’” Monk said.
According to Vieux, everyone loves the match party, as the club attendees get to interact with each other and set the scene for the year, building lasting friendships, creating excitement for upcoming events, and fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment where all members feel connected and valued within the Best Buddies community. The event represents the beginning of meaningful relationships, encouraging participation in the club throughout the year, and helps students feel a sense of belonging and unity. The purpose carries itself through every meeting and activity that follows.
“The party makes everyone more excited for the year,” Vieux said. “I feel like our club is a really important part of the Westview campus, and making these matches and these friendships is really just the main goal of the club itself, so having this match party sets the foundation for the whole year ahead.” The Match Party captures the spirit that keeps the Best Buddies community thriving year after year.
