Opportunity to achieve - bcpvpa

Opportunity to achieve Margaret Geddes, Principal, William Watson Elementary, writes about how Surrey embraced a special track meet for athletes.

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et’s organize our own event for children with Special Needs,” I said to a teacher who was grumbling about the disorganized event she had just attended. Thus began my naively optimistic journey of organizing a track meet for children with special needs. I have an extensive background in sports, not Special Education. I believed that Bayridge Elementary could organize a track and field event similar to the Special Olympics and the Paralympics for the children in the Surrey School District who wanted to participate. If you build it – they will come. There would be three running events of various distances (80m300m). Five different field events: Long Jump, Obstacle Course, Batting off a Tee, Frisbee Toss, and Softball Throw. The meet would finish with a 4X50m relay race. If a school did not have enough athletes to make a team of four, we could put them into teams in the marshaling area. At the completion of each event, athletes would receive a dif-

ferent coloured ribbon. Each ribbon would proclaim the participant a “WINNER.” The first indication that I was unfamiliar with some aspects of Special Education came early. I was cautioned about calling the event “Special” Track Meet because the word was a sensitive and could carry negative connotations. “Really? Does the Special Ed. Department know? Or the Special Olympics?” Noah Zaba on the stretch in the relay race. Despite the warning, I liked Special Track Meet and only six schools registered. I was I sent out invitations to Surrey’s el- surprised and disappointed. I began ementary schools, hoping to draw to hear that some people that work about 100 students. I only had a with children with Special Needs few responses, and in a district of would not let their students parmore than 100 elementary schools ticipate because my track meet was June 2014 • Adminfo • 6

“exclusive” and separated the children. I tried to understand the reasoning. Some people believed that children with Special Needs should be included on the regular school track team and believed that my Special Track Meet was segregating them. I kept explaining that the inclusion piece came when the kids on the Special Track Team practiced with the other kids participating in track. They could be included in track and field season training at the long jump pit and learning how to pass the baton. Track and Field is the one last bastions of competition in elementary schools – only the strongest and fastest and kids able to jump the highest, make the track and field team. It is difficult to make the school track team. I believed that few children with Special Needs were able to make their school teams and wanted to have an event that provided an expectation of fitness and training for children with Special Needs; an event that included them in the Track and Field season that was happening in their schools. The response was discouraging – and I thought I might have to cancel the event. I contacted the District Principal of Special Education, who fully supported the event. I asked if I could attend the next meeting of integration teachers so I could talk to them about the track meet. But alas, there were no more meetings scheduled for the year. At last, I began to receive some phone inquiries and positive feedback. Connie McLean, Vice-Principal of Cougar Creek, loved the idea but was having difficulty motivating her students. They were afraid. Connie called a meeting and had a school jersey sitting on the table in the room. When all of her students assembled, she pointed to the jersey

and asked two questions. “What about a boy with FAS that “Who has ever worn one of is prone to impulsive and aggressive these?” behaviour?” No hands went up. “Is the EA coming? Then sure.” “Who wants to wear one?” The criteria for participation: anyAll hands went up. one with an EA – hearing loss, viShe had all 12 permission slips sion loss, autism, FAS, intellectual signed and handed in the next day. disabilities, kids in wheelchairs – I Cougar Creek had a Special Track accepted them all. Finally, we had Team and began to practice. 20 schools and 66 children. Another principal called to say that The first meet happened in 2009, she had one child with a prosthetic and approximately 60 athletes came leg. She wanted to give him the per- and ran and jumped and proudly mission form but was afraid of the wore their ribbons and school jermom’s reaction as she insisted that seys. The second year we had 88 athher son be given no special treat- letes, then 150, 170 and last year we ment so he could learn to make his reached our cap of 210. This year, way in the world. I wasn’t sure what I sent out the email for registration advice to give – you can’t convey a and we were full in four hours with shrug over the phone, but I said, all more than 150 athletes on the waitwe can do is provide the opportu- list. Next year we are looking to exnity. Give the mom the permission pand to two days so no one is on the form and let her decide. The prin- waitlist. I have many, many amazing cipal called me the next day to say volunteers who come and help me that she gave the mom the permis- run the meet. I have support from sion form and explained the event, the Surrey Elementary Athletics then leaned back in her chair and Society, Special Education Departbraced for the reaction. Unexpect- ment, and Education Services. edly, the mom began to cry and thank her for the opportunity as she recognized that her son would never be able to make the regular school track team. Little dramas began taking place at a number of schools as teachers and principals began to gather their athletes. More and more phone calls came. “Could a girl with vision loss compete?” “Yes, we would put her EA in the lane beside her to guide her on the track so that she could run.” “What about children in wheelchairs?” “Sure, send EAs that Rod Maclean is a former Surrey principal. are willing to push them.” Visit Rod’s website at www.justkiddingcartoons.com June 2014 • Adminfo • 7

Former Olympian, Lynn (Williams) Kanuka tries to come every year to do the warm-up with the athletes, share some inspirational words, and lead the first lap around the track. She wears her Canadian Olympic jacket and Bronze Medal from the 1984 Los Angeles games. Her bronze medal fascinates the kids and she graciously poses for many pictures. Last year, as a result of corporate sponsorship I was able to purchase medallions for all the athletes. At the end of the day, a coach of one of the teams was placing the medallions over the heads of her athletes, one boy so overcome with emotion, turned and ran up the bleachers with huge strides, reached the top and stood arms outstretched and celebrated his medallion by declaring, “I won! I won!” When I first became a principal, it was apparent to me that parents of children with special needs worry a lot about the social aspect of their children’s lives. Many times I would be in an Individual Education Plan meeting with my team and we would be talking about academics while the parents would be asking if their child was alone on the playground or if they had any friends. We would have goals for the child to learn their numbers and letters, whereas the parents hoped that their child would some day be invited to a birthday party. To facilitate the social component of the Special Track Meet, I introduced a lapel pin trading station. Athletes exchanged pins with track officials, other athletes, coaches, and special guests. Children are natural collectors and the pin exchange station was well-visited. Sports create bonding. Last year, as the athletes from all over our district rotated through the field events in their gender and age categories,

two girls on the autism spectrum became fast friends and exchanged contact information so that they could have a play date in the future. Their parents were thrilled. During the lunch break, we play music and every year a spontaneous dance breaks out on the track. Parents, coaches, volunteers, athletes – people from 50 different schools are on the track dancing and celebrat-

Signals Design assisting in the creation of a logo that represents this amazing event. I would be willing to share this logo with other districts interested in organizing their own Special Track Meet. School Trustee, Laurae McNally comes every year to help at the meet and hand out ribbons. She shared a story with me. Last year, one boy was running the 200m and stopped about two meters in front of the finish line and laid down on the track. Laurae said, “Get up, you are so close to being finished.” He said, “I’m dying.” Laurae replied, “If you finish, I have a purple ribbon for you.” The boy lifted his head up off the track and said, “Purple? Hmmm, I don’t have a purple ribbon from last year and I know because my ribbons are on my wall and I look at them every day before I go to school.” He got up and finished the race. Laurae gave him two ribbons, one for this year and one to complete last year’s ribbon collection. How do we inspire our children to become Para-Olympians or involved in Special Olympics if we don’t provide some exposure to competing while they are in school? Maybe you are already hosting a track meet for children with Special Needs in your district but if you are not – consider doing it because those ribbons mean more to the athletes than we will ever know. Let’s give the kids a chance to compete to show us their ability!

ing together. It is poignant to hear more than 300 people – some in wheelchairs, some with walkers – all shouting along to Lady Gaga’s I Was Born This Way. During the summer I was telling my childhood friend, Robyn Sussel about my Special Track Meet. She and her husband own Signals Design Company. She wanted to help me by branding my Special Track Meet. They created a logo with a speedy bunny on a track and the tag line Little Athletes – Big Dreams. We featured this logo on hats, t-shirts, ribbons, medallions and of course, Margaret Geddes can be reached at trader pins. I am appreciative of [email protected]

All Summer Long

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