It's just before lunch at Burnaby's Alpha Secondary, and the school's access room is buzzing with activity. About 17 students are gathered in the room's kitchen, preparing salad and pizza from scratch.
The radio's on, the room if filled with noisy chatter and the smell of rising dough is in the air. This is the school's chapter of Best Buddies, a national charity that partners students and people with intellectual disabilities for one-to-one friendships. The group meets once a week, usually at lunch, for regular, fun activities. There are roughly eight students with special needs and 20 "peer buddies." They hang out regularly and form relationships, while fostering an inclusive atmosphere at the school.
Boriana Kuteva, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student, has been with Alpha's Best Buddies chapter since it started three years ago. School groups often raise money for various charitable causes, but one thing that attracted Kuteva to Best Buddies was the immediate effect.
"It was one of those groups where you actually saw the impact at school, the acceptance of students with disabilities around the school," she says, offering an example from last year, when a Grade 8 girl stood up to her friend, who was making fun of one of the students with special needs.
"She turned towards her friend and said, 'Guys, it's not nice, she's perfectly fine, leave her alone,'" Kuteva said.
But there were some adjustments for Kuteva when she first started hanging out with the group.
"I wasn't sure how to act around students with disabilities. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, I guess if you're not exposed to students that are different. You can learn that you just act normal, that's all you can do, really. You act like you would with your other friends. That's why this group has so much impact," she says.
Lauren Tonello, who runs the group along with Kuteva, said more Alpha students say hi to the students with special needs.
"For them, they feel more accepted in the school and feel like they have more friends.
. It makes (the school) a better place," says the 17-yearold. "We have so much fun, . and the relationships we're building are awesome." Most of the peer buddies are Grade 12 students on the cusp of graduation, and they are hoping the next generation will continue building relationships, as they've done.
"We're hoping the younger kids realize how important this club is," says Tonello.
Mike Lee, a 16-year-old boy in a wheelchair gave the group a thumbs-up and on a scale from one to 10, ranked it as 10 for likeability. He enjoys making pizza and playing baseball with the group.
Aaron Mah, a 17-year-old student with special needs, also gave the group a number 10 ranking. Some of the Best Buddies activities he particularly enjoys are bowling and making gingerbread houses.
Jerome Claudio, the sponsor teacher who oversees the Best Buddies group, says he's there to help with any awkwardness the students may feel while trying to form relationships. Students with special needs may not always be able to read social cues, so Claudio is there to help students feel more comfortable establishing boundaries.
The program also connects the students and special needs kids at a time when they are not taking classes together.
Many students had a kid with special needs in their class in elementary school, but in high school, students with intellectual disabilities are taking electives rather than academics, so there's no chance to bring the two groups together, Claudio explained.
"These students have no classroom dynamic, they're not taking classes with anybody," he says.
The connections through Best Buddies benefit both parties, he noted. Kids with special needs need life-skills training, while students need work skills, he says.
Like Tonello and Kuteva, Claudio is hoping the next generation of students will continue the chapter.
"This is a great group," he says. "(But) there's going to be a turnover."
For more information on Best Buddies, go to www.bestbuddies.ca.
