Many talk about spreading “holiday cheer” during Christmas, but what about Halloween cheer? To the Peer Mentor and Buddy Club at Norwin High School, the best way to spread joy is through candy and gifts to friends. From Friday, October 18, to Wednesday, October 30, the Peer Mentor and Buddy Club are selling “Boos” starting at $1.00 to $10.00–bags that students can fill with candy and snacks to give to their friends–during lunches at the high school.
The Peer Mentor and Buddy Club at the high school is an interactive, community-service-based club encouraging interaction among students with disabilities. This year co-advisors run the club, Ms. Kristen Sweeney and Mrs. Tiffany Haraburda. With over 90 students regularly involved in the PMBC club, students volunteer their time to help students at Norwin with special needs. Students may choose to tutor a buddy on a specific topic or they can help include them when going to sporting events or community activities.
“Peer Mentor and Buddy Club is a unified club–which means we have students with and without disabilities come together for activities and events in school and in the community,” said Sweeney, co-advisor of the PMBC at Norwin. “We work to promote an inclusive environment in our school!”
From the annual Polar Plunge to Unified Track in the spring, the Peer Mentor and Buddy Club meets regularly, organizing events to help bring the community closer together. This year, the PMBC is promoting inclusivity by designing “Boo” bags that students can fill with candy and/or snacks to be passed out to their friends during homeroom. The club is selling the “Boo” bags from October 18 to October 30, for the Halloween season.
“When the students come to the table, they will write a message to their friend or teacher they are sending the “boo” to,” said Sweeney. “Then, they can choose from a variety of options for snacks, treats, and drinks to send. They can add as much as they want up to $10 worth of snacks. All they have to do is write their order on the back of the message form and the kiddos that work in the Knight’s cafe will fill the bags and send them out during first period!”
This is the second year that the PMBC is selling “Boo” Bags to students during lunches. During the Halloween season, PMBC believes it is important to spread cheer and inclusivity so that every student can have fun. At lunches, several students sold the bags to others, with a wide variety of candies and chips for the students to choose to place in their bags.
“[The “Boo” Bags are being sold] to celebrate Halloween and bring Halloween joy,” said student and PMBC member, Angela Gruban.
