Going for the Black and Gold: Special Olympics
Every year in May, National Honor Society plans, coordinates, and collaborates with the Special Education program to put on the Special Olympics. In creating this event, both the club and the program plan to achieve two goals: to provide and increase students’ participation in exercise and to bring awareness to the community that students with disabilities can do everything that a normal student can do, just with a different pattern of thinking and different pace of learning.
In the Special Olympics, the participants go through a series of track and field events including the softball throw, long jump, and soccer kick. Every Friday, the special education teachers on campus, Ann Alvarez and Janice Crawford, take the special education students out to the track to practice their events.
Crawford, when explaining the process of preparing the participants, said that “in class we practice throwing, catching, hopping, running. Once a week, since January, everyone practices each event, we rotate them around and coach them through it.” Alvarez added that preparing these kids for life and the races brings out the emotional aspect of teaching. “I go home with a really warm heart and a smile on my face,” said Alvarez. “It is truly a labor of love.”
Participants will not only compete in their events, but also go around to different booths set up by clubs on campus to play games while they wait for their races to begin. Different clubs will be hosting different events at their booths, including a cookie decorating activity led by Interact. “To watch the students on campus get involved and fall in love with some of the kids to come back next year and bring their friends, that’s what makes it really fun,” said Crawford.
Moreover, other clubs and committees from the surrounding area, including Oak Park and Westlake High Schools, will also be a part of the event with their own booths to further promote community involvement. Maya Menon, junior, plans on volunteering to be a “buddy” and accompany a student and cheer them on during their events. “I’m very excited to be helping, especially knowing that this event brings so much joy to its participants,” said Menon.
