When asked about his favorite thing that he has gotten to do as a Millbrook student, senior Jon Mitchell said, “Be an outstanding senior.” Jon is a member of the Special Education department, and also of the club Best Buds, a student-run group dedicated to the inclusion of all students. Best Buds is a club that actively works to engage students like Jon in school activities, despite their disabilities. Run by president Maddie Gould, as well as four other officers, Best Buds meets monthly. The officers who work alongside Maddie include senior Casey Weidner, sophomore Janie Inscore, junior Sterling Adams, and senior Elena Rehberg. Led by these individuals, the club attends several events throughout the year in hopes of involving every special education student in as many ways as possible. Jon is just one example of a student who has truly embraced every aspect of what it means to be involved. For this, he credits Best Buds, stating that with the friends he has met at Millbrook and through the club, he has been able to “be brave, and be myself.” That is what Best Buds is all about.

 In each of the monthly meetings, club members often partake in fifteen minutes of physical activity, such as dancing, or playing games like cross the ocean. These fifteen minutes are fun for all and are also a requirement of Millbrook’s adaptive education club partnership with the Special Olympics of North Carolina. Following activity time, each meeting is often centered around the creation of crafts, and also dancing. One annual tradition of the club is to tie-dye T-shirts, a challenging, yet rewarding activity.

 However, one of the longest awaited and most buzzed about events of the year for Best Buds is their annual Winter Wonderland Dance. Typically falling after Millbrook’s Winterbash Dance, this event has taken place for the past three years, following the founding of Best Buds in 2016. Unlike many other dances that are frequented by Best Buds, this one is hosted by Millbrook and is well attended by the near one hundred and thirty members who are a part of the club, as well as a number of faculty members and parents. Apart from Wake County high-school sponsored dances, Best Buds also makes a point to incorporate at least one field trip into their busy schedule. This past year, they went to a Carolina Mudcats baseball game, as they also did the year before. Other trips that members of the club have taken include holiday shopping for families and friends, visits to basketball and football games (especially in support of the Elite Wildcats), and taking part in rallies such as Spread the Word to End the Word. Throughout all of these fun events, the goal of the club remains, which president Maddie Gould feels is to “make everyone feel welcomed! Best Buds is huge on making each person feel included and on never judging an individual! There is so much happiness and joy in this club, and I can confidently say that Best Buds had changed my perspective on life. I never thought that Best Buds would have made such an impact on me, but I’m more than blessed that it has.” If you are interested in experiencing a change in your life like Maddie has experienced, reach out to her, or to one of the other four officers!