In recent days, students at Upper Perk have been training and working hard, preparing their athletics to the best of their capabilities. They have been busy preparing for the Special Olympics!
Special Olympics is an athletic event held each year for individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. This year, the event will be held in Springfield with ten schools competing. It will be held on May 8th after the Special Olympics pep rally to commemorate the occasion.
The event is for students from middle and high school. Each student can compete in the 200m run, the 50m run, the standing long jump, and the softball throw. To prepare, most students practice during their adapted gym classes. To ensure that students get the best experience possible, each student will be assigned a “pal,” or a fellow student from Springfield, to assist them from event to event.
Mr. Thrush, a coordinator of Special Olympics, told WSJ that the Special Olympics is important because a “majority of athletes do not participate in travel sports or extracurricular activities, so Special Olympics is a big event for athletes.”
Before the event, the Special Olympics pep rally will be held in the gym to celebrate our participating students. According to Mr. Thrush, “Students at the high school really enjoy the pep rally… They also like seeing their families and school staff cheering them on,” especially two competitors, Raheem Hawkins and Aiden Kelly!
A couple of weeks later, on the 20th of May, our school will be hosting our own Special Olympics for Upper Perkiomen students in grades 4-12. Other students will have the opportunity to be a pal and help out in other ways.
Be sure to get ready to support our peers at the pep rally on the 8th, and look out for the Upper Perk Special Olympics on May 20th.
