New unified sports coach establishes herself at NPHS
This year, the NPHS Unified Sports Club is supported by a new coach. The club itself is centered around inclusivity and diversity, with special needs students learning how to play sports with the help of other students. Now, they welcome a new era with fresh leadership.
Melissa Martin, an adaptive PE specialist for the school district, has been with the Unified Sports program since the beginning, maintaining her involvement at Thousand Oaks High School while working at NPHS. Martin is familiar with the club, and has been involved since the beginning. “I’ve [run] the program since we started it at Thousand Oaks High School, for seven or eight years. Now I’m just doing it [on] both sides,” Martin said.
With the experience of being a coach supporting her, Martin feels confident with being a leader. “As a physical education teacher, I think you innately have to be a leader, because you’re in front of a large group of people, and it’s often not in a classroom,” Martin said.
She applies the four NPHS principles to her everyday teaching, but her long term goal is to empower her students. “Your school does a great job of putting it out there how all the teachers are supposed to be presenting leadership. And it’s really about making you guys the leaders,” Martin said.
Another form of leadership that is supporting Martin in her first year at NPHS is the board of Unified Sports. As part of the board, Greta Heath, senior and treasurer, originally joined the program to continue previously made connections. “In kindergarten and through elementary school, I had split classes with some of the same students with special needs, and so I really connected with them. I like seeing their joy when they have success during sports,” Heath said.
Heath acknowledges that a new coach is a big adjustment for the club because their previous coach worked with them for years. “I think it’s important for us to be [the special needs athletes] friends, by spending time interacting with them, going to all the meetings, all the games and showing them that [we’re] there for them,” Heath said.
Unified Sports welcomes students of all ages and experience. One of its newest members is Josephine Falt, sophomore. Despite Falt joining just this year, she is already noticing the impact of Martin. “She is definitely organized and she really is working hard. The club is continuing on, she came here to help continue it,” Falt said.
Although she just arrived, Martin’s leadership and experience with the program being one of the founders evokes respect and excitement from the students in the club. “I’m really enjoying having another unified PE class, and I’m really enjoying learning the culture being at a different CVUSD school,” Martin said.
