It started with a simple invitation.

During a regular lunch period at Shepherd Middle School, Evan Harris and Emery Ganiere did something that seemed small at the time—they accepted an invitation to sit with a classmate — Osiris. But what began as a single act of kindness quickly became something much bigger.

In just a few months, their small gesture transformed the culture of their school, inspired dozens of other students to follow their lead, and gave Osiris—and many others—a sense of belonging that had been missing before.

For a long time, Osiris was just another familiar face in the hallways. He was part of the Life Skills program, a class designed to support students with special needs, and while his peers often saw him around, he wasn’t always included in the usual school social circles. But Evan and Emery noticed something.

“Every day, he would wave at us,” Evan recalls. “We’d wave back, say hi, but we never really talked much beyond that.” Then one day, Osiris made the first move. He asked them to sit with him at lunch.

Without hesitation, they said yes.

“We asked one of the teachers if we could, and they said yes,” Emery explains. “So we sat with him. And then the next day, we sat with him again.”

That’s when something remarkable happened.

At first, it was just Evan, Emery, and Osiris at their lunch table. But then other students started to notice. “We didn’t really think much about it at the time,” Evan admits. “But then more people started asking if they could sit with us, too.”

Soon, so many students wanted to join that teachers had to create a sign-up sheet—not just for Osiris’s table, but for multiple tables in the cafeteria. What started as one act of inclusion had grown into an entire program.

The students even came up with a name for it: Lunch Buddies.

Now, instead of students in the Life Skills program sitting separately, they’re surrounded by friends. They’re part of the lunchroom conversation, the inside jokes, the casual banter that defines middle school social life.

But the impact goes far beyond lunch.

Lunch Buddies quickly extended into recess, morning greetings, and even special events. “At recess, Osiris comes up to us and asks to play,” Emery says. “And of course, we always say yes. He loves basketball, volleyball—he’ll just keep playing until he makes a basket. He never gives up.”

That determination is something Evan and Emery admire about their new friend. “He likes to push himself,” Evan says. “If he’s trying something hard, he keeps going until he gets it right. I really respect that.”

Their friendship has also introduced them to American Sign Language (ASL), something they likely wouldn’t have learned otherwise. “The Life Skills class taught us some sign language,” Emery explains. “And we taught them some of the things we do. It felt really good to learn from each other.”

It was a reminder that inclusion isn’t just about inviting someone in—it’s about listening, learning, and growing together.

Before this all started, Osiris didn’t have many close connections outside of his class. Now, he’s known throughout the school. “He walks into the cafeteria or the hallways, and everyone waves to him,” Evan says. “Before, that didn’t happen. But now, it’s just normal.”

What’s even more inspiring is how other students have followed Evan and Emery’s lead. “There was another student, Michael, who saw what we were doing,” Emery says. “One day, he went up to another Life Skills student and invited them to sit with him. It just keeps growing.”

What started as two students making one friend has turned into a school-wide movement.

Evan and Emery’s friendship with Osiris has been life-changing—not just for Osiris, but for them, their classmates, and their entire school community. “He’s made me a better person,” Emery reflects. “He’s taught me how to be kind no matter what, and to always have a positive attitude.”

Evan agrees. “I’ve learned so much just from watching how determined he is. He never gives up, and that’s something I want to be better at, too.”

And what about Osiris?

Teachers and staff say the difference is visible in his smile, in his confidence, in the way he now walks through the school with his head held high. Where before there was hesitation, now there’s belonging. Where before there was distance, now there’s connection. And where before he might have wondered whether he fit in, now he knows he does.

All because two students chose to say yes to a simple invitation.