Most students see being involved in a club as a check mark on a list to get into college, but for 2011 alumni and new Special Education teacher Madison McKenna, Buddies Club means something much greater.
“[Buddies Club] gave me purpose and made me feel like I was involved with something much bigger than myself which can be difficult to find in the midst of everything high school can present,” said McKenna.
Buddies Club organizes activities where general education students and special education students hang out together and create friendships. It is designed to open students’ eyes to different types of people and to see the value in every individual.
“I think Buddies Club expands horizons. Unfortunately, all too often at high schools the students [with disabilities] get overlooked,” said US History teacher and former Buddies Club Sponsor Timothy Spicer. “So when an opportunity [like Buddies Club] presents these kids with disabilities to take part in a school-sponsored event, [general education] kids say, ‘Oh my gosh… I didn’t realize what amazing and unique and fabulous people they are.’”
McKenna’s unique passion for the Buddies Club quickly developed during her junior year at WS. She began to take a leadership role in Buddies Club by organizing events and getting her peers more involved. Her personality and talents enabled her to reach out and connect to special education students in a way many other general education students found challenging.
“I could tell that [McKenna] was extremely gifted and natural with her interactions [with special education students], “said Spicer.
As she became more passionate about Buddies Club, she discovered that she could have a future interacting and helping special education students. It was this discovery that led her to pursue a masters in Special Education.
“Buddies Club and the staff at WS inspired me to become a [special education] teacher,” said McKenna. “I wanted to continue to learn about the population and discover new ways to give them every opportunity that all other students have.”
While searching for a job in the special education world, McKenna interviewed at WS and ultimately decided that this was the place where she would like to make an impact. With a classroom located between Junior and Senior Rail, McKenna is frequently found providing our special education Spartans with numerous life skills.
“The memories of Buddies Club [are] what brought me back to WS,” said McKenna. “I wanted to come back to utilize what I have learned to encourage the inclusion of special education students and to make [WS] a place where everyone feels accepted.”
According to her new students, that is exactly what she is doing. McKenna teaches math and conversational skills among other lessons.
“Ms. McKenna helps us with math problems,” said senior Sam Schwartz. “She is amazing and wonderful.”