Every Wednesday, D9 is filled with Rio students ready to bring inclusivity and joy to their community at lunch with friends, a club made for kids in the special education program. 

The club has a very high attendance rate, with Ms. Harr’s large classroom completely filled every week with students eager to positively impact someone’s life. Although very full, Lunch with friends is constantly welcoming new people into their meetings that want to spread happiness in their community. 

“We play lots of games and do art activities with the kids,” sophomore Jayla Hernandez said. “We also usually have a dessert. This club brings people together and gives you the chance to see a new aspect of their lives.” As a frequent partaker, Jayla loves how she gets to be a small part of the large change towards greater inclusivity of all people. 

Lunch with friends is always filled with laughs and the many members ensure that the environment is never dull. In the short 30 minutes of lunch, people’s days are turned immediately brighter from spending time together, whether you are in the special education program or a member who joined. 

“We do many different crafts to bond relationships to help integrate the student populations and create better inclusivity at Rio,” senior and club president Sienna Suznovich said. Lunch with Friends works on a weekly basis to build a more positive, healthy atmosphere  for all students to strive in.