November has marked an annual tradition at Coronado High School for the past decade: the Best Buddies Thanksgiving Party.
On Thursday, Nov. 20, special education students in the Adult Transition Program and the high school joined peers in the Best Buddies club for a Thanksgiving-style gathering.
“Yesterday we went to Costco as a class,” said Katie Quinly, an education specialist with the district’s Adult Transition Program. “We did a cooking lesson where we all come together and make the food, and then everything else is parent-provided, donations, and then we have lots of food for everyone, so it’s exciting.”
Quinly, who founded the club before moving to the program and started the tradition during her time at the high school a decade ago, said this year’s celebration for approximately 50 people is a collaborative effort between the Adult Transition Program and the Best Buddies club, led by Tina Hosko, a special education teacher at the high school.
“Last month we did our Oktoberfest and we decorated pumpkins and we had pizza,” said Hosko. ”Once a month, we do a big celebration of friendship.”
When the bell rings, signaling lunchtime, students trickle into a space that Quinly says promotes inclusion for students with disabilities.
“We just want to create social opportunities, so we can build friendships and create a natural environment for everyone to get to know each other,” said Quinly.
Genuine friendship
The program, intended for young adults with disabilities aged 18 to 22 years, provides training and instruction to facilitate the transition from public school into appropriate adult programs and supported work placements, according to the district’s website.
The district’s website says the program emphasizes independence based upon students’ disabilities and encourages decision making, work experiences and community interaction to build participants’ confidence level and social skills.
“Sometimes we make parties or birthdays and then other times just hang outs at lunch, or sometimes after school,” said CHS senior Phoebe Allari-Smith, the club’s president at the high school for the past two years. “It’s really just about community; anyone can come by.”
According to Allari-Smith, the Best Buddies club advocates and builds awareness about students with disabilities by encouraging people to get to know their peers.
“I just like hanging out with my buddy and seeing other people with their matches,” added Allari-Smith, who has been involved with the club since middle school, about Alexa Sobke.
Sobke, 21, echoed Allari-Smith’s sentiments and said she enjoys that the program allows her to spend time with friends and sing, adding that she enjoys music from Taylor Swift.
“I like to celebrate my best friend,” said Sobke, grabbing Allari-Smith’s hand before they sat to enjoy a meal together.
Sophomore Monica Laguna, the club’s secretary, said Best Buddies is a great way to come together, have fun and feel the inclusivity of the club and make other students’ days brighter, like her buddy Sarah Kibrit.
“I have a couple cousins with cerebral palsy, so I’m really involved with just helping kids out,” said Laguna. “When I found out about Best Buddies and how it helps kids get involved, it really inspired me.”
One table away, CHS senior Jackson Hosko, the club’s vice president (and Tina’s son), said he joined the club during his freshman year but he has interacted with students with special needs his whole life because his mom has been a special education teacher for over 20 years.
“I saw that I could make a difference in someone’s day, just by taking a little time out of my day,” said Jackson who has formed a special connection to his buddy.
Unlike other buddies who get paired up with a different person each year, Jackson and Santi Anaya have been matched since meeting four years ago.
“I met (Santi) in my mom’s class … and then we started to hang out off campus a little and then after that we just became buddies,” said Jackson.
“He’s a great friend,” said Anaya, 19, about Jackson. “Best Buddies is fun because I like having fun with friends.”
Matching buddies
Tina said she has been involved with Best Buddies for 22 years, five of those at CHS.
According to Hosko, there are approximately 15 pairs this year.
“They’re matched with intent,” said Hosko, who explained the group uses a survey to facilitate the process.
Ashley Reed, a speech and language pathologist in the district, said the program’s focus on social awareness is enhanced by the pairing between general education students who provide a real world experience for those with disabilities.
“We really consider a lot of different factors of what the disability is and then who, of our (general education) peers, would be the best fit for those students,” said Reed, who helps Hosko with the pairing process.
“…It’s really great to see that this generation, they do have a really sweet skill set that I think gets overlooked far too often,” she added. “One of our buddies, I saw her getting a second helping for another student … You really see that servant heart of the buddy come out. It’s really just a beautiful thing to watch. It gives you hope for what’s to come.”
To learn more about the Best Buddies club, visit its Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/chs.bestb/.
