I received some great pictures and a video of Andrew participating in the Special Olympics that I thought I would share! Enjoy!
Long Jump
50-yard dash
Medal ceremony
Congratulations to Andrew and all the athletes who competed!
Tag Archives: Special Olympics
A Special Day for Special Athletes!
We had our big field trip today to the Santa Barbara Special Olympics! Our cheering squad brought their enthusiasm and some very special posters and flags to wave to cheer on the athletes!
Once we were seated, the students spotted Andrew running by, practicing before the event!
Cheers erupted from the Laguna students!
We also enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies.
I am hoping to get some “on the field” pictures and videos of Andrew from his mom that I will post! What a special day!
There’s an Athlete in the House!
We were very lucky today to meet an athlete who will be participating in the Special Olympics next week. Andrew and his mom dropped by to teach us a bit about Special Olympics. We also got to learn about Andrew himself. He is six years old, like many of the students in our class, and is in kindergarten. Andrew loves ice cream, swimming, running, and playing, also like the kindergartners. The students were excited to learn about these similarities and were eager to share with Andrew what they like to do. Andrew’s mom, Amber, also mentioned that there are some differences that Andrew has, like he has just one hand, and he has Downs Syndrome which means his brain and body are a little different than theirs. It makes it hard for Andrew to talk. Andrew has learned to do many activities with his one hand, like cross the monkey bars, swim, or swing.
Next Friday, Andrew will participate in three events including the 50 yard dash, the softball throw, and the long jump. He quickly won over the hearts of the students and received many hugs and high fives before he left. The kindergartners are already planning what their banners and flags that they will make for the Special Olympics will say!
Enthusiasm
Our Swooper Citizens theme of the month is enthusiasm, the perfect character trait to learn about as we work together as a team to put together our musical play. Ms. Atkinson and I also have planned a very special field trip for our classes where students will have the chance to demonstrate enthusiasm. At the end of the month, the Special Olympics will come to La Playa Stadium. The kindergarten and first grade students will be official “fans in the stands,” where they will cheer on the athletes. In preparation for this, students will paint banners that will offer encouragement and show enthusiasm.
I was delighted to hear that my friend Amber’s son, Andrew, will be participating in the Special Olympics this year.
Amber paid a special visit to our classroom last year when we were learning about the character trait of understanding. Here is the post I made about that visit:
I was even more delighted when Amber accepted my invitation to bring Andrew to Lower School for a visit. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the students to get to know Andrew before cheering for him and the other athletes!