By: Marina Longo

During this school closure, I asked co-presidents Tessa Gizzarelli and Sarah Brown to update the St. Augustine community in regards to what Best Buddies has been up to and this was their response.

1. What are some fun activities the Best Buddies club has been doing during the school closure?

We are happy to say that Best Buddies has continued with virtual activities to further foster our relationships with the students. Every Friday, we gather on Google Meet to discuss what we have been doing to stay busy during this unprecedented time and play interactive games including charades, Pictionary and scavenger hunts. We always end our hangouts with a dance party to celebrate the time we have spent together. Due to school closures, our Best Buddies Week was cancelled; however, we are glad that we were able to offer some of the events online. We facilitated a virtual session with Michelle Del Carmen via Zoom where she delved into the significance of autism awareness and continuing clubs like Best Buddies during this difficult time. We also published a video consisting of our senior and junior buddies sharing their favourite memories of Best Buddies and why the committee is important to them.

2. Best Buddies has been doing weekly video calls, how has this strengthened the club members bond?

Throughout the school year, Best Buddies facilitated several extracurricular activities offered to senior and junior buddies. We enjoyed participating in bowling clubs, cooking clubs, challenger baseball and holiday parties. With the current situation that is occurring in our world, we had to abruptly stop these activities, which disconnected us from our tight-knit community. We now gather on Google Meet every Friday and this has strengthened the club more than we can describe. Despite the challenges our world is facing, Best Buddies continues to connect with one another and foster life-long friendships. We have made so many memories through our virtual hangouts and it is heartwarming to see that we are able to continue building these relationships.

3. How important is it to you that Best Buddies continues to communicate and interact with one another during this time?

We believe it is very important for Best Buddies to continue communicating and interacting with one another during this time. It is crucial that the Functional Life Skills (FLS) students know that we are all here for them, especially within a time of difficulty.  Although we are not able to physically be with our buddies at this time, we still want them to feel as included and involved in the school community as they were when they were at school.

Sarah and Tessa’s responses were enlightening and informative. The work that Sarah and Tessa do for Best Buddies allows for the club members to accomplish great things! It’s inspiring to see that even in tough times, the club is still able to stay connected and get involved in the St. Augustine community.