Hundreds of students across Aiken County Public Schools came together on Friday, March 6 for the annual Area 15 Special Olympics held at Citizens Park. The event features an opening and closing ceremonies, games, prizes and more.
“Special Olympics is an opportunity for our students to really get to showcase their talents in a way other than their academics,” Beth Taylor, Assistant Superintendent of Special Programs said. “They get an opportunity to spend time with their buddies where they're not having to be in a classroom, and they just get to be a kid for a day. It's a nice, inclusive opportunity for them because it brings all of us together.”
Activities included short-distance track races, throwing a football, dunking basketballs, kicking soccer balls and more. Students and buddies also got a chance to tap into their artistic side with an area focused on mural painting, creating custom medals and more.
“It's just a good time. The activities, the arts, socializing, the food, the competing,” Bart Melody, cross-categorical special ed teacher at Chukker Creek Elementary said. “Whether you're competing or not, everybody's here to have a good time, and we're all having fun at the end of the day.”
Aiken High School got students involved in the Special Olympics with a partnership with the Buddy Club and National Honor Society. They hosted a sendoff event to focus on inclusion prior to coming to Citizens Park.
“It feels great. We have a positive inclusion school here, yes. My students, they have a lot of friends,” Mary Arciaga, a special education teacher at Aiken High shared. “You will be surprised to see them high-fiving people that I don't even know. because they're friends with them, because we have P.E. that's inclusive. They just make friendships, and then they move on to the next grade level, and they're still friends.”
“We're just proud of them all for coming out. We're excited about the participation we have and the number of students that we have here,” Taylor shared. “We’re very grateful for the buddies that have joined us and for all the volunteers.”
