Beyond the books: How Thornebrooke Elementary cultivates lifelong friendships

Whether it’s having lunch twice per week, playing on the playground, drawing with chalk outside or reading together, fourth- or fifth-grader and students with special needs in the Barracuda Buddies at Thornebrooke Elementary School feel included. 

Barracuda Buddies assistant Angel Bodiford began the program, which pairs fourth- and fifth-graders with students with special needs for various activities, in 2002, when Thornebrooke Elementary opened. 

The goal for the program is simple: build friendships, spread kindness and make sure every student feels included, valued and connected. 

And it’s doing just that. 

Today, the program is popular among the students, and it’s one of their favorite weekly activities. 

According to Jackie Keller, the school’s behavior specialist, Thornebrooke has a reputation for the inclusivity Barracuda Buddies offers Exceptional Student Education students, who are those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, emotional and behavioral disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and physical, sensory and communication impairments. 

Every time ESE students see their buddies, a smile spreads across their faces. 

This year, Keller said 25 to 30 students signed up to participate in Barracuda Buddies. 

Keller said children are partnered based on their age. Fifth-graders tend to be paired with ESE kindergartners, while older ESE students are paired with kids their own age. 

“That way we have some really good socialization going on and building and maintaining friendships,” Keller said. 

She said this program has extreme value not only to the ESE children, but the fourth- and fifth-graders, as well. 

Fifth-grader Eli Taccetta said his brother and sister both have participated in Barracuda Buddies, and he always has wanted to be part of it. He enjoys helping people, and being part of the program is fun. 

He loves spending time with his ESE friends, such as Gabrielle “Gigi” Almeida. 

When he moves on to middle school, he hopes to be able to be part of a program similar to Barracuda Buddies. 

For other Barracuda Buddies like Charlotte Buckley and Ellie Petroski, the program means a lot. 

They said they enjoy spending time with the kindergartners during lunch each week and participating in events with them. Charlotte said at times, they can be more fun than her fifth-grade classmates. They are going to miss the program once they graduate elementary school. 

Keller said these friendships always have stood out to her. 

Barracuda Buddies connects students in a variety of ways. 

Twice per week, students sit with their ESE friends during lunch and go to recess with them. 

Beyond that, students also have the chance to visit the school’s educational service center to spend time with their peers through socialization, conversations, reading and playing games. 

The program also offers different events throughout the year, such as candy grams, money-counting activities, bubble blowing to teach deep-breathing benefits, winter wonderlands in the school’s sensory room and more. Each year the teachers try to come up with something new the kids will love. 

“To me, (the program) means creating a space and an open mind for people who are not like us,” Keller said. “We’re creating a space for them to have the same opportunities like any other child has. It’s so naturalistic and such a low-pressure opportunity for our kids that doesn’t focus on academics. We’re really just giving them a space to be who they are and having other kids accept that.” 

Keller also said parents have been of tremendous help every year, with many of them coming up with new and innovative ideas to engage ESE students within the school’s community through a plethora of activities. 

While not every idea can become a reality, it’s something deeply appreciated by Thornebrooke’s Barracuda Buddies teachers.