Puma Pals was a club founded with the intent of helping students with special needs form meaningful bonds throughout the year. It is a club where students get paired up with a special needs student and become their “buddy,” with a year spent building a meaningful friendship.

They meet every Wednesday, but the majority of their activities happen out of school, such as going to the movie theaters to enjoy doing something fun. They help the students order on their own and they  spend time watching one of the  newest movies in the movie theater. 

Junior vice president Piper Jones-Campbell, said, “One of the best things about the club is how we get to make an impact on the students and help them to develop their social and academic skills.”  One of her favorite field trips that they do is their movie field trip, with Puma Pals watching Zootopia 2 this year. 

Junior Addie Becker says, “The officers pair up everyone, and we have the same buddy for the entire year, so we grow a really nice bond with them.” Every year the officers pair you up with the buddy they think you could have the biggest impact on and bond with the most, after all the main mission of puma pals is to create long lasting friendships and connections. Becker is a meeting coordinator, so she makes sure that the meetings and outside events run smoothly and that everyone has a good time.

Puma pal sponsor Michelle Gustafson explains that puma pals meet every Wednesday. She elaborated, “We interact with our kids with special needs, so our general education students pair up with them, and we just have lifelong experiences and create memories.” Puma pals not only do in school activities, but also out of school activities such as movie nights, talent shows, and tailgates at the beginning of the year.