Carlsbad High’s Best Buddies prom took place on March 21st. While traditional proms can leave students feeling left out, especially those with disabilities, Best Buddies prom flips the script. The annual event is hosted by the Best Buddies club through Carlsbad High School. It creates a space where everyone is welcome and gets a chance in the spotlight.
The Best Buddies program holds weekly meetings where students spend time building friendships with peers who have disabilities. Throughout the year, the club plans a variety of events, with the prom being one of the most anticipated. Junior Avery Bartels, the event planner, discusses her take on the prom.
“The goal of the prom is to make sure every student has an inclusive experience,” Bartels said. “Not all students in Best Buddies always have the opportunity to go to school dances, so we wanted to create an environment where everyone is welcome.”
The event was a huge success despite its challenges, such as setting up on time and finding decorations. Careful planning was essential to ensure the prom ran smoothly for everyone involved.
“We had to work a lot with ASB to find a date that would work,” Bartels said. “Then we worked to get donations for food and drinks.”
The prom brought together many different groups of students, creating an environment where everyone could participate and feel included. Rather than feeling out of place, students were able to connect with others.
“It’s brought forward some amazing friendships between general education students and students in special education,” Bartels said. “It’s cool that people get to know each other even if they’re in different classrooms.”
In addition to its impact, the event also highlighted strong student leadership. Organizing the prom required time, effort and collaboration between multiple groups.
“This is mostly a student planned event, so we created a prom planning committee within Best Buddies,” Bartels said. “We worked with ASB students to help get a DJ.”
Best Buddies also includes a buddy match program. This gives CHS students an opportunity to hang out with a peer from Best Buddies and get to know them. John Liston is one of the teachers who is in charge of the program. He discusses his perspective.
“One moment that stood out to me was when a car full of students arrived at prom,” Liston said. “Both buddies and their peers stepped out together.”
As the night came to a close, the impact of the event went beyond the dance floor. Students noted that the experience left a lasting impression on students. It is way more than just a dance to many, and showed the true meaning of inclusion on campus.
“I hope students take away that you can have a fun experience no matter who you’re with,” Bartels said. “That you can build friendships with everyone on [our] campus.”
