Circle of Friends and Beyond…

Have you ever been the last one picked in a group activity? Do you remember how it felt? There are lots of students who feel like this on an everyday basis. To help kids with special needs feel included, there is a club called Circle of Friends.

Mrs. Bauer is the WRMS social worker and the sponsor of a Circle of Friends. “Circle of Friends is a nationwide organization, and it’s different from every school,” Bauer said. “The goal of Circle of Friends is to match special needs kids with role models in different classes to make new friendships.” Evan Butterfeild, an 8th-grade student with special needs, shared a few of his favorite things. Evan loves taking pictures, loves pepperoni pizza, and loves the Hulk because he’s green. We also asked Eric Hamilton what his favorite things are, and Eric loves cheeseburgers with pickles, lettuce, and cheese. He also loves playing basketball, and he wants to be a police officer to put bad guys in jail.

Burke Harsin, an 8th grader on the Wave team, was recognized by WIBW for making students with special needs feel included. The newscast featured Harsin and his entire 1st hour PE class on the “Good Kids” segment of the news. “It was awesome!” Harsin said. “It made my parents super happy, and it’s really awesome to be on a channel like that.”

Circle of Friends happens every Tuesday in advisory. You can sign up by getting a paper from Mrs. Bauer located in the office at the counselor hallway. They would love to have more people come down and participate but more than that, you can show kindness every day. Mrs. Lawson, a special needs para in our building has some ideas you can do to help. Lawson said, “I think just making them feel welcomed at school, talking to them, knowing their names, eating with them at lunch and asking them to be a part of group activities.”