The Best Buddies Club at Shadow Ridge High School will hold their annual Halloween Celebration on October 18th, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
The event will be held by Ms. Nebab in the Shadow Ridge High School cafeteria and the theme for this year will be “Coco.”
According to Nebab, “This is our yearly celebration for our club where students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities will have a buddy that they commit to, to create at least one friendship all throughout the year.”
The Best Buddies Club, not just at Shadow Ridge, but throughout all of Nevada, is a growing opportunity for students and peers with/without mental disabilities to create friendships with each other.
The Halloween event held by Shadow Ridge is just one of the many events that the club hosts and participates in to spread awareness throughout society.
“This year will be our matchmaking party and Halloween celebration,” adds Nebab. “We plan to introduce students with IDD to their buddies by using a matching mask.”
She says, “We will also do a human scavenger hunt to get to know other buddies and we will make friendship bracelets for souvenirs.”
Nebab has put a lot of planning into the Halloween celebration for the club so everyone participating has a chance to fit in and meet other students with the same interests, creating new bonds among their Shadow Ridge peers.
Senior Club Treasurer, Toni Sultzbaugh, includes, “I like the connections I’m able to make with my classmates and friends.”
Best Buddies provides countless opportunities to build friendships in the large community of Shadow Ridge.
“Some of my closest friends have been made from that club and it’s honestly one thing that’s helped me start to learn what I want to do when I graduate,” adds Sultzbaugh.
The Best Buddies club as a whole not only creates new friendships, but helps participants feel welcome and independent.
Sultzbaugh says, “I think this [club] helps the students feel welcomed by their peers due to the fact that we help them learn new social skills and we help the peers around us welcome them by learning about their classmates they may not interact with often.”
Best Buddies is a great way for students to interact with peers, without feeling judged.
Most times, and not just students but adults as well, with learning disabilities are often overlooked or misjudged, and the Best Buddies Club is available to spread awareness and act against the stigma.
