Bay Students 'Spread the Word to End the Word'

While other students at are preparing for senior prom, a group of students in Whitefish Bay's Best Buddies program have been busy organizing a flash mob-like performance to promote the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign.

Chelsea Hren, Best Buddies Wisconsin Lead Program Coordinator, said Best Buddies works with people with disabilities to help them in their life and in their job. The program was .

“In a school program, a student with a disability will be paired with a student without a disability and they'll do activities like go bowling, go to the movies, and have a Halloween party," Hren said.

The Best Buddies program and the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign are close to Whitefish Bay High School senior Maggie Anderson's heart. Anderson, the school's Best Buddies chapter president, has a brother with a disability. She came up with the flash mob idea to promote the cause and even choreographed the dance.

A flash mob is a surprise performance designed to attract attention in a heavily-populated public place. They usually start slowly with an individual randomly starting to dance, then they are joined by several - sometimes dozens - of other participants. 

Anderson said she thought a flash mob would be an effective way to bring Best Buddies' cause to the attention of shoppers at Bayshore Town Center in a Sunday afternoon performance.

"I was watching ‘Mobbed’ on Fox the day after we had our officer meeting,” Anderson said.  “And I thought:  This might be a good idea to spread the word everywhere."   

Anderson began putting together the moves in December. The students practiced the performance weekly since February. 

"A lot of schools did the campaign in their schools, which is great,” Hren said. “But she wanted to bring it into the community."

Although the group's performance was interrupted by a fire alarm drill, many people who were evacuating the mall stopped to watch the performance and learn about the cause.

Best Buddies is a 20-year-old national program that is constantly growing.  This year, Carroll University was added to the list of now 31 Wisconsin schools, ranging from middle school to college level, which participates in the Best Buddies program. 

The “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign is intended to bring awareness to people who casually use the word “retard” and its various other forms inappropriately. In October of 2010, the United States passed a bill called “Rosa’s Law,” changing the medical and health terminology from “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability.”

The campaign is supported by the Special Olympics along with Best Buddies, and is designed to essentially stop the use of the word.

“It’s very offensive, and it should not be used,” Anderson said. 

Senior year has been busy one for Anderson, as she juggles school, sports, Best Buddies, college applications, and her social life, but she said starting the Best Buddies program has been well worth the effort.

"I'm really grateful for starting this whole thing,” Anderson said.  “I love it.  It's been a huge part of me this whole senior year."