On May 5, buddies from three towns gathered in North Branford to celebrate the school year at the Best Buddies Prom.

The celebration was especially sweet due to the night’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme. Decorations transformed the café at North Branford Intermediate School (NBIS). The prom brought together Peer Buddies with Best Buddies from Life Skills classes at North Branford High School (NBHS), Branford High School, and North Haven High School.

“It’s a celebration of their school year together. It’s so much fun,” said NBHS Special Education teacher and Best Buddies program advisor Kathy Mezerewski. “The whole premise of the Best Buddies program is that when Life Skills children are paired up with peers from their school, they have a great experience that helps them be part of their school community and the larger community. They enjoy a better life and it helps them when they enter the workforce and get jobs.”

Thanks to donations of catering, entertainment, and raffle prizes, this year’s prom was another big hit, said Mezerewski. She gave a special thanks for prom night support provided by volunteers including dinner made possible by Mike Augur, food director of North Branford Public Schools, and dancing with DJ entertainment by Anthony Esposito.

Eighty student participants from the three schools were expected to attend the Best Buddies Prom on May 5.

As part of the statewide organization Best Buddies Connecticut (an affiliate of non-profit Best Buddies International), NBHS has organized a Best Buddies prom as a host site for area towns for several years.

About two years ago, North Branford added a Best Buddies program at NBIS which now feeds into NBHS. The NBHS Best Buddies program is so popular, the school’s group of about a dozen Life Skills students are supported by a peer buddies group of about 60 NBHS students, said Mezerewski.

“Our group is so large not everyone can be paired one on one, so we have groups,” she said. “They’ve established friendships that not only help the students feel more part of the community in the [NBHS] building, but when they do things off campus, like going to the movies or going bowling, and at school events like Homecoming. Some of them make lifelong friendships.”