In the third installment of our week long Spread the Word to End the Word campaign, senior Sophie Banchoff reflects on her experience in Best Buddies. Come back on Monday to see more of our school community members share their thoughts.

Everyone on earth is different in some way. It is everyone’s differences that make the earth such a wonderful place to live. The r-word is offensive and should not be used because people should celebrate their differences, not dwell on them. This is the lesson I have learned through all my years of being in Best Buddies. My sophomore year at Yorktown I was matched with my buddy, Sarah Horner. Meeting Sarah and her wonderful family definitely turned my high school experience around for the better. I began to see that Sarah had so many unique talents, but one specific talent stood out to me the most: she always made me feel better. Every morning (and still to this day) she runs over to me and gives me a hug with a beaming smile on her face. Now, I am not exactly a morning person, but after seeing Sarah my grumpiness seems to disintegrate into thin air. Through getting to know Sarah I have realized just how disrespectful the r-word is and that is why Spread the Word to End the Word is so important to me.

Some people believe that the r-word is only offensive when referring to a person with a disability. That is where they are wrong. The r-word should not be used in everyday language because it is offensive and offensive words should not be used. Of course, most of the time people do not realize that they are insulting a group of people when they use the r-word and that is where Spread to Word to End the Word comes in. It is one of the most positive and inspiring days because so many of our fellow classmates are being informed and pledge to make a change!