Friendship Club is an after-school club that meets a few times a month and does fun activities throughout the school year. Currently run by Spanish teacher Michelle Kelley, she explains how Kathy Shakoy; the original founder of the club and a student at the time, Marianne Gaitani, began Friendship Club.
“Kathy was working with kids that had special needs at Norwood High School and wanted to create a space that allowed for the kids to have social interactions they would not normally have outside of school. When Kathy left, she asked me if I would take over. It felt really like an honor that she thought I would be a good fit for it”.
Mrs Kelley had a close involvement in the club while Mrs Shakoy was running it. Over time, she really began to form close relationships with all the kids that are a part of the club. As she says, “I love them for so many reasons”. In addition to the bond she has with the students, she also has personal experiences that make the morals behind her involvement in the club very important.
“My uncle Stephen had Down Syndrome and I remember I used to go over to my grandmother’s house and wonder why he was playing with Barbie dolls while he was 20 something years old. As I got older I had an interest in how he was different, but yet so the same as everyone else in my family and also how well my grandmother took care of him.”
Her natural curiosity a young child to learn about her uncle paired with her desire to help kids learn and develop has led her down a path leading to Norwood High School and becoming an amazing teacher who is seen as a mentor to all.
Friendship club throughout the year does so many fun activities and is always welcoming more people to join. Along with doing fun activities, it also creates a great leadership position for students to be a part of individuals’ lives that want to build friendships. As Michelle Kelley explains, “We are always looking to build friendships, and whether you have had a bad day, you come to Friendship Club, and everything is better. You don’t leave Friendship Club without a smile on your face.”
In the first half of the year, they do icebreaker activities to get the kids more acquainted with one another and also have a fall Olympics where they set up games for the kids to compete in. Friendship Club also partners with Unified Basketball, where the kids can take part in the team to compete in the TVL.
Coach McDonnell explains, “Unified is an extension of the Special Olympics in high schools. It combines a team of players with intellectual disabilities and mentors who assist them to play the greatest sport in the world, which is obviously basketball”.
The head coach of Unified Basketball, Kristen McDonnell also coaches girls basketball in the winter and is a guidance counselor at Norwood High school. Coach McDonnell started the team five years ago after seeing other nearby schools incorporating Special Olympics in their athletic programs. With the help from John Longley and others, she started planning fundraising events to create a team. Once money was gathered, Coach McDonnell promoted students to join and in the end she had a team.
“We play against six other teams, home and away in the TVL league. We go on the buses, we pack the gym, we have senior nights and we do anything that any other team would be normally doing”
When asked about why she wanted to coach the team and bring this sense of equality to Norwood High School, she had many morals behind her reasoning.
“I love to coach and I love basketball, but I could also see these kids in the building that are just like everyone else, who want the same things that everyone else wants, which is to belong; to feel accepted. To combine those two pieces where you get to see those kids light up because they are playing a sport they love and are passionate about where they are so happy, having fun, having those relationships, having everything that any athlete would get from their experience”.
Students around the school are greatly affected by this team and the inclusion Unified basketball has brought. Freshman Isaiah Lesperance and Senior Chris Wilds loved the season so much, they both could not pick which game was their favorite. When watching the team play it is clear to all that this team is closer than most others. Smiles shine across the hallways and long-term friendships are made that might not have.
As the fall goes on, Friendship club paints many pumpkins to sell at the yearly Norwood Craft fair to add a bit of color to people’s doorsteps. Sticking with the autumn theme they have a costume party where all the kids and adults can choose to dress up in their Halloween costumes. Closer to Thanksgiving, they do a few Kahoot games where the kids compete in teams or individually to win prizes.
As winter approaches, they do a holiday karaoke party, which Mrs Kelley describes as “the best”.
“Sometimes we have kids that like to have the mic the whole time who just love the music and to dance and sing. Some kids throughout the year you can see love music, but during this party, many kids will shock you and love the mic as well. It’s a yearly tradition for me to sing Santa Baby”.
Senior Chris Wilds has an amazing natural ability to remember lines for his roles in drama productions like Mamma Mia and Romeo and Juliet, which makes him stand out on stage but as you get to know him, he is one of the happiest people in the school who is never seen without a smile on his face. During the karaoke party, he says his favorite music to sing to is Justin Bieber and Jingle Bell Rock to get into that winter spirit. Also, throughout the whole school year, his favorite snack to have was Cheez-Its.
After winter break, there is a snowball, which is a variation of a prom dance for all the kids in Friendship club. It is $10 for a ticket, and you can choose to dress formally or informally as long as you are comfortable. The hall gets decorated, and there is tons of food for all, and of course, some karaoke.
“It gives everyone something to look forward to because it’s affordable and is really such a great time.”
Friendship club and Unified Basketball are programs that not everyone in the Norwood High School community might know about, but are very important to those who do. The joyful environment and the loud, fun atmosphere is something that will never be forgotten. The big box of candy before games, where everyone ate way too much candy, or getting up and dancing in the middle of an activity are core memories for all. Friendship club and Unified Basketball build so many friendships that will last a lifetime.
