Dancing, high-fiving, and smiling students shine in a new video created for a Newtown High School’s Best Buddies and Unified Sports joint effort to inspire the entire school community to “choose to include.”

The video, which is available to watch below this story, was edited by NHS juniors and Best Buddies and Unified Sports members Faith O’Hara and Nolan Adis, and it is part of a larger effort at the school. On March 18, students learned about the effort to spread inclusion during advisory periods.

In a letter to staff and students ahead of March 18, the effort was explained as, “Best Buddies and Unified Sports at NHS have teamed up once again to continue our conversation on respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities. This year, our campaign is titled Spread the Word Inclusion and will occur during the March 18 advisory.” The Spread the Word Inclusion campaign was started by Special Olympics and Best Buddies, globally, according to Best Buddies Club co-advisor Jill Gonski, who advises the club with Mimi Riccio. Unified Sports advisors are Kathy Davey, Kirstan Tuz, and Margaret O’Callaghan.

The letter asked students and staff to listen to the morning announcements the week before to learn more about the campaign, and it asked them to post on social media about why inclusion in important. Students and staff were also informed that an online pledge is available at spreadtheword.global to promise to spread inclusion.

A post on the high school’s Facebook page on March 18 read, “Spread the Word is a global campaign to increase inclusion [among] people with and without developmental disabilities. That is why we are asking you to sign the pledge to spread the word inclusion...”

“It has a nice message to it,” said Best Buddies and Unified Sports member JP Ford on March 15 at a Best Buddies meeting.

Best Buddies and Unified Sports members took turns sharing messages during morning announcements leading up to March 18, according to Ms Gonski.

“It was nice to see everyone together and us all together on the same page to try to promote inclusion,” said Best Buddies member Carlo Marano, a freshman at the school, about the video.

Seated nearby, Robbie Morrill, a senior and a student leader for Unified Sports, said it was nice to see how happy everyone was when the video was being filmed.

“I think it really shared the message of how we are all the same. We are all together,” Robbie said.

The Spread the Word Inclusion Campaign happened in place of the school’s annual campaign to “Ban the ‘R’ Word.”

Kai-li Davey, a fellow senior and Unified Sports student leader, said it is important that people become aware of this “specific topic.” She said when people use the “r word,” it is hurtful to many people.

“How can people change their ways if they don’t even know what it is?” Kai-li asked. “That’s why I think it is so important to spread it all over the community.”

Robbie explained students would be shown the video during advisory periods on March 18 to “let them see how much people enjoy interacting and how well it works.” Unified Sports and Best Buddies students also visited advisory periods for freshmen and sophomores to discuss the video.

T-shirts that read “Choose to Include” were sold in advance so students could wear them on March 18.

“We just wanted to make the video to get the word out about how important inclusion is. Just including someone can make someone’s day or even their week,” said Faith.

Faith and Nolan said neither of them have edited a video like the one they created before. They both described having fun filming the video and watching students react to seeing it once it was completed.

The video was published on Youtube on March 9. By March 15, it had more than 500 views. On March 19, it had more than 1,000 views.

In the video, students explain what “inclusion” means and how being included makes them feel. Being included, the students shared, makes them feel “happy,” “comfortable,” “happy because I’m with my friends,” amazing,” and “splendid.”

Faith and Nolan took video of students in the school’s cafetorium, in hallways, and in the school’s gymnasium. The video shows students sitting next to each other, laughing together, and sharing moments in classes. It ends with many students and school staff holding signs that read, “Choose to include.”