By

Jennifer Weber,   Cedar Riverside Cmty School

Play:

Topics:

Student Leadership

We hosted a Special Olympics Unified Bowling event with our team on November 8th. There were schools from all over the area at the bowling alley. There were kids with all different and cool abilities. Everyone got to play together and have a great time. We really liked cheering when someone would get a strike. It was really hard to get a strike or a spare, so we cheered a lot when it happened. It was fun to have everyone playing together. Then we all had lunch at Godfathers Pizza. It was delicious! We hope we can do this again next year.

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Not all our parents understand why playing together and valuing those of all abilities is important. There are many misconceptions about Special Olympics and why we should all play Unified. Our teachers and I (Coach Weber) met with some parents that expressed issues or weren’t going to let their child participate to ensure the message of inclusion was communicated. In the end, all but 2 students were able to participate.

How do you plan to make this Play last during the school year and beyond?

We have committed to a Dance Unified event and to complete our 3rd year raising money for Special Olympics by doing the Polar Plunge in March.

How did students and adults work together as a team?

The students were committed to including all student is this play including parents and teachers.