OLIVENHAIN — Students from Cathedral Catholic High School’s Best Buddies chapter brushed a horse and milked a goat on Nov. 8 during a visit to Sugar Sweet Farm, where they spent two hours getting to know the animals and one another.
Best Buddies promotes friendships and inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The visit to the family-owned farm gave neurodivergent and neurotypical students a chance to connect outside school.
Farm owner Elizabeth Sugarman introduced students to the animals and gave short lessons on farming. The farm is home to animals ranging from horses to goats, including some rescued animals, as well as those bred on the farm or given to the family.
Sugarman and her family began welcoming visitors for goat yoga and later opened the farm to more community events.
“I like this [farm] lifestyle,” Sugarman said. “I have it for me … I have it because I love sharing it, and I want to share this with the community.”
Penelope Kiamilev, a senior and co-president of the school’s Best Buddies chapter, chose the farm after seeing how much students enjoyed a petting zoo at school the previous year.
“So last year, there was a petting zoo at our school,” Kiamilev said. “All the students loved it, so we’re [Best Buddies] like, ‘okay, why not do this?’ So … I found out about [the farm].”
Sugarman said she wanted the visit to give students and their families a chance to relax and enjoy their time together.
“My purpose here today is to bless these families, not just the children, but the parents … that they can have a moment of peace and to see their child happy,” Sugarman said.
Brooke Szekeres, also a senior and co-president of the chapter, said the club helps students build friendships around what they have in common.
“We’re all the same,” Szekeres said. “We all have the same wants and needs in life. We all want to have friendship. We all want to have companionship and, like, love.”
Tina Lentz said the program has helped her son, who was homeschooled for 10 years, form friendships with other students.
“He was homeschooled for the last 10 years, and so the social piece of the puzzle was always my effort,” Lentz said. “In this program … he has a true opportunity to find lasting relationships that mean something. And the kids that are in Best Buddies are incredible. They go out of their way to make kids like mine seen.”
Sharon Kitzmiller, another parent, said she has seen the group grow into a place where students learn from one another.
“[This] has evolved into a true friendship group now, versus I think in the past it was a feeling of one side was less than the other side,” Kitzmiller said. “People came at it with an angle of, ‘Oh, I feel so bad for you. I’m going to be your friend.’ Versus now, I think it’s more an equal opportunity where they’re learning from each other.”
Lentz said those friendships matter because neurodivergent children are often left out.
“Too many people leave our kids isolated,” Lentz said.
For Szekeres, the friendships students build through Best Buddies help make a large school feel more connected.
“It should be one community,” Szekeres said.
