From painting to pizza parties and bowling to barbecues, Circle of Friends is a club at South where students in the Special Education Department get to hang out with their peers and teachers outside of school. The club hosts events and goes on field trips in order to make lasting relationships with club members.

Circle of Friends revolves around the monthly outings the group goes on. Sherry Koch, Special Education teacher and one of the club’s sponsors, describes some of the club’s most recent outings.

“We start off the year with a welcome back party, a pizza party,” Koch said. “In December, we went to Northbrook Court and we saw movies, [had] dinner and [walked] around the mall.”

Julie Spellman, instructional assistant of the Special Education Department and club co-sponsor, said that the events are typically lots of fun for those involved in the club.

“We love [the events],” Spellman said. “We try to mix [them] up every year so it doesn’t get boring for the kids, but at the same time we [always go on] their favorite events, what they want.”

According to Koch, one of the club’s more exciting outings was their trip to Equestrian Connection, a therapeutic horse stable in Lake Forest, Ill.

“It was amazing for me to watch the kids up on those horses,” Koch said. “[…] A lot of them think they could never do something like that. And watching their faces, you could just see them glowing up there.”

Junior Connie Hoekstra, a member of the club, said the events are an amazing opportunity for South students to get to know and hang out with students from the Special Education Department.

“[The events are] meeting students with [their peers] in the Special Education Department and kind of putting them in an environment where there’s no boundaries,” Hoekstra said. “[…] It’s the most fun thing to see.”

Junior Nina Santacrose, a club member, also enjoys the club’s events and spending time with her best friends.

“[The events are] really fun and it’s a blast,” Santacrose said.

The outings are not only a fun time for all, but also provide a loving and accepting environment, according to Hoekstra.

“I’ve never seen so many people hugging in one room,” Hoekstra said. “[The kids with special needs are] so happy to be out with everyone […] It’s just the best feeling ever to spend time with them outside of school.”

According to Spellman, Circle of Friends teams up with other clubs, including Interact, Key Club and the Peer Mentor program, for a number of events each year. Spellman describes the partnerships with other organizations in the school as helpful to the club.

“I think because of our main goal of the club, it benefits [our members],” Spellman said. “Having exposure to all of the kids in the school and group participation with things with Key Club and Interact […] it really gives us so much.”

Another benefit of the club is the genuine friendships and relationships built between the members, according to Spellman.

“Just the other day, one of the kids slipped in the cafeteria and some of the other kids that they’ve met through  Circle of Friends stopped and put down their lunch, helped them up and asked, ‘Are you okay?’” Spellman said. “It’s that kind of friendship and connections that we’re all about.”

According to Koch, the club not only forges friendships and builds community, but  also benefits the participants personally and socially.

In addition to the relationships built, Koch also said that the club instills confidence, self-esteem and socialization in the members of the club. She credits a large part of this boost in character to the accepting environment of South.

“[The club] helps them with confidence, self-esteem [and] socialization,” Koch said. “I think the culture of our school is amazing. It’s very accepting.”

Senior Isabel McCanna credits Circle of Friends club with opening her eyes to something that she has now dedicated herself to over the past few years.

“I had never really encountered people with special needs before because we didn’t have the facilities at [my past] school,” McCanna said. “So being able to find that passion and getting to know each kid is a really incredible gift to me.”