Ever had a mediocre buddy? Everyone’s been there at some point, but here at Knoch High School, there is a club for only the most supreme buddies of all. Best Buddies is a club that requires no participation fee and likely has more opportunities to get involved than any other.
Best Buddies is a nonprofit international program dedicated to building bonds with and promoting inclusivity of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. It works all over the globe to improve quality of life and give all sorts of opportunities to these individuals all the way through adulthood.
Life Skills teacher Mrs. Leech, with the help of her right hand woman junior Natalya Cafasso, heads the program. They organize many events and activities throughout the year, making sure there’s an opportunity for everyone to get together and have some fun at least once a month.
“Our social activities are fun,” said Leech. “Any of the holiday parties offer so much with team building, friendship, compassion, and inclusion!”
The holiday parties are a perfect chance for someone to check out what Best Buddies is all about. Normally lasting around an hour to an hour and a half after school, they’re easily accessible for even those with the busiest schedule and totally worth a stop. There’s always games involving team building, craft projects to get creative with and work together on, friendship building games that end up being more fun than you’d think, and lots of delicious snacks. Mrs. Leech and Cafasso do a wonderful job at making sure the parties have something for everybody and are always something that provides an opportunity to make lots of great memories.
“My favorite Best Buddies memory was the reindeer game at our Christmas party,” said senior Austin Tallerico.
The Christmas party is indeed quite lit. Senior Samantha Lawson holds those parties near and dear to her heart as her favorite Best Buddy memories as well.
The Best Buddies club also works hand in hand with Bocce Ball coordinator Mrs. Bocci. It allows more people to get to know about Bocce and join the team, and gives the Bocce athletes the best fan base ever. A golden moment was a tight Bocce match in January of 2023 during a pep rally in the gym, where the teachers’ team stole the victory, to the crowd’s dismay. Getting to hear the student body cheer for the team, the Best Buddies being the loudest of course, is heartwarming and shows the team the support they deserve.
“I love the unified aspect of the sport–unifying athletes with and without disabilities,” said Mrs. Bocci. “Many of our team members became great friends and stay friends even after they graduate.”
Best buddies has provided many opportunities for many people all throughout the world, and at Knoch it’s no different with special thanks to Cafasso. She takes special care to be a fabulous president, from making sure meetings and parties are a gorgeous time and everyone can make it, to being a kind, smiling face in all aspects of her life, truly representing what Best Buddies is all about.
Cafasso holds the club particularly near and dear, and it certainly thrives thanks to her.
“I quickly fell in love with its mission. My own mental struggles throughout my childhood showed me what it was like to feel alone,” said Cafasso. “As a result, I strongly believe that everybody deserves to have a friend at all times. Best Buddies was the perfect organization to spread this message of friendship and inclusion.”
The club does a fabulous job making sure no one ever feels alone; even your first day wouldn’t feel like a first day thanks to the inclusive environment of the club. Even though Cafasso has only been in the club for three years, she makes it feel like it’s a family she’s been a part of all her life and that she wants you to be a part of too.
“I encourage everybody to join Best Buddies. You never know how much some kindness and inclusion can change somebody’s life. The relationships you are able to build may be ones you did not expect, but I promise they are the most rewarding,” said Cafasso. “Best Buddies has taught me that everyone is so special in their own way and you may never know that until you really get to know them.”
Although parties are fun, friendship really is what it’s about and what it inevitably creates. Nothing is as special as the feeling of unconditional support and appreciation from your peers just for being yourself, and special it really is as that’s not something you can find everywhere. However, you can always find it in Mrs. Leech’s and the presence of your fellow Best Buddies.
Personally, Best Buddies is something that I really enjoy because of how closely I get to interact with students I wouldn’t normally get to get to know that well. Whenever we can get together, there’s so much enthusiasm that creates a bubbling environment that is undeniably healing to be a part of, and I am so grateful for all Cafasso, Mrs. Leech, and Mrs. Bocci do that make it special.
We just recently had our Halloween party, where we all got to carve pumpkins that then the teachers will get to vote on. It was a blast with lots of snacks and laughter, and the pumpkins turned out great.
“We… enjoy and have fun,” said Tallerico. “Because, why not!?”
