March 4th was the anniversary of the campaign of “Spread the word to end the word”.  It’s about ending the ‘r’ word because it’s a very rude word. Since people with disabilities are more alike than different to us, we need to treat them with respect.

Maggie Emmerich, who’s the president of Best Buddies in Leonardtown High School, has agreed to answer a few questions about “Spread the Word to End the Word”. Some of the questions are about what the campaign is truly about, how students can get involved in the campaign, and if there’s anything else that she wants to say in general for those who are interested. “Spread the Word to End the Word is a campaign to stop the ‘r’. In case anyone isn’t aware, it means retard. At lunches, we’re taking pledges by signing up or you could go to www.stoptherword.com. When you take the pledge it means you’ll stop using the ‘r’ word and maybe once you start your friends could start too. Along with “Spread the word to end the word”, Best Buddies is kind of where it all started and you can do more to help this year.”

Mr. Raley, the sponsor of Best Buddies, has agreed to give out a little more information about this campaign. Some of the questions involved when Special Olympics starts, what goes on, and how can students help/get involved in Special Olympics. “Special Olympics develops equitable programs for people with disabilities that empower athletes, promote physical activity, and model appropriate social interactions.” He said, “The Spring games is our big event that will be hosted here in Leonardtown High School. It will on Friday April 24th and any students who are interested, I’m going to need roughly 150 to be able to pull this off and volunteer. Those volunteers come in the form of escorts who take care and make sure the athletes get to their events on time, may need help with set up tear down and I need some help with VIP seating. Students who are not comfortable working with the person with developmental disabilities and still want to be involved they can always be a members of grounds crew. You’ll be able to help set up the chairs, tables, tents, and so on. The application process is all online this year. The deadline for the applications is on Friday, March 27th.”
Those who are interested must ask permission first and then help. If you haven’t taken the pledge, then go take it during lunch.