Many students around BHS may know the friendly face of sophomore Brock Messenger, but many do not know about an important program he is a part of.

Messenger recently was given the opportunity to volunteer in the community and explore his employment skills in a program called STARS. STARS stands for Special Teens Achieving Real Success.

The STARS program was founded in 2009. It is an organization for teens with Down Syndrome, ages 12-18 It allows them to come together without parents and explore their skills. The focus of the program is based on life and social skills to help each teen reach their greatest potential and become more independent.

“Brock wants to be able to get on the bus by himself, this program is a great start to that,” special education teacher Laura Beaulieu said.

Beaulieu works with Messenger daily. She also works with the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City, the program that is connected with the STARS program.

“We found about this program from the Down Syndrome Guild and we’ve had students in the past be a part of it. There are no parents allowed, so it really opens up the opportunity for the kids to be independent,” Beaulieu said.

The STARS program takes place every Wednesday night in Mission, Kan. They do different activities such as gardening, games and karaoke.

“I don’t sing!” Messenger said after he found out the next activity is karaoke night. “I’ll probably just watch, too much allergies.”

Messenger has met many new friends and has learned new skills thanks to this program. He will continue to attend every Wednesday and he plans on being able to get on and off the bus by himself and become more independent.

Students at BHS enjoy having Messenger in their classes.

“He’s really funny and he’s fun to work with. He’s always in a good mood and he puts everyone else in a good mood,” sophomore Cheyanne Daniels said.

Some students even make efforts to spend time with Messenger outside of school, too.

“Brock and I have been friends since first grade. It’s been fun growing up with him and seeing him grow as a person,” said sophomore Ethan Temple, who for many years has arranged to hang out with Messenger as often as possible.