Involvement in sports teams, music groups and other extracurricular activities makes school enjoyable and worthwhile for many students. They can look forward to practice and seeing teammates, helping them get through long school days. Plus, these activities build friendships, work ethic, time management and teamwork. However, as beneficial as they are, some students at LHS do not have the opportunity to join. To solve this problem, LHS added a unified basketball team and a unified choir to the LHS Best Buddies Club.
Best Buddies is an internationally implemented program designed to help create relationships between special education students and general education students by matching special education students with a buddy. The basketball team includes general and special education students and competes with other schools. Additionally, they play in tournaments, and last year, the team placed second.
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, the Best Buddies basketball team showcased their skills during the halftime of the girls’ varsity basketball game against OGHS. The club was divided into two teams to play against each other. The players worked hard and played intently, and the game was fun for the players and the crowd.
“It is really fun to meet all the buddies,” said LHS freshman Lily Omundson who is a part of the Best Buddies basketball team.
The team practices during WIN time every Wednesday in the gym, and their hard work showed. Many players scored in a very short amount of time.
“[My favorite part is] the three-pointer and I like to meet new friends,” said Rhonda Lambert, who participates in both the Best Buddies basketball team and show choir.
Later in the night, the unified show choir took the floor. They performed in front of packed stands during the halftime of the boys’ game. They sang songs such as “Brave” by Sara Bareilles and included choreographed actions for the songs. Like the basketball team, the choir competes with other schools which is rewarding for the singers.
“I can go to different schools and get some trophies,” said Lambert.
Additionally, Best Buddies hosted a fundraiser outside of the gym. They sold bake sale items and drinks from the coffee cart. Fundraising allows the Best Buddies program to continue being a fun and beneficial club for LHS students.
It was a successful night for many; the Best Buddies basketball team and show choir were able to exhibit their talents and the boys’ varsity basketball team beat OGHS 69-58. The girls’ basketball team fell to OGHS 60-18.
