{"id":1826,"date":"2015-03-30T06:26:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-30T13:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.rsed.org\/?p=1826"},"modified":"2017-12-17T04:15:34","modified_gmt":"2017-12-17T04:15:34","slug":"slam-dunk-santa-clara-countys-first-ever-special-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipschools.org\/vi\/latest-news\/blog\/slam-dunk-santa-clara-countys-first-ever-special-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Slam Dunk! Th\u1ebf v\u1eadn h\u1ed9i Olympic \u0111\u1eb7c bi\u1ec7t \u0111\u1ea7u ti\u00ean c\u1ee7a Qu\u1eadn Santa Clara"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019re into March Madness buzzer beaters and Cinderella stories, last Wednesday\u2019s tournament was one for the ages. Cheers erupted from both sides of the court as fans watched several three-foot-something kids sink slam-dunks into a net three times their height \u2013 with a boost from their P.E. coach, of course.<\/p>\n

This stunning spectacle, with students, teachers and parents of all backgrounds and abilities cheering both teams on, perfectly encapsulated Santa Clara County\u2019s first ever partnership with the Special Olympics.<\/p>\n

[vimeo 124678786 w=500 h=281]<\/p>\n

About 100 basketball stars from Mosaic Elementary, Discovery Prep and Brilliant Minds faced off last Wednesday at the East Valley Family YMCA<\/a>, including several players from Rocketship\u2019s Specialized Inclusion Program (SIP)<\/a>.\u00a0Dozens of other students also came to cheer on their classmates, showing their school spirit from the sidelines with colorful handmade signs. Just as the Special Olympics<\/a> aims to empower and unite athletes with and without disabilities, the SIP model helps students with moderate to severe disabilities learn alongside their general education peers for most of the school day.<\/p>\n

\"Rocketship<\/a>

Athletes & fans from Discovery Prep proudly carry their banner during the Opening Ceremonies.<\/p><\/div>\n

Mosaic parent Tanisha Kruger saw the event as a unique learning opportunity for her son Bryce, a student in the SIP program.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t always understand that just because someone has a disability, it doesn\u2019t mean the rest of them is disabled. They\u2019re still whole, and they just want to play with their friends, be a part of the competition and feel included,\u201d Kruger said.<\/p>\n

Throughout the tournament, students of all grades and abilities showed off their teamwork in games against the other schools. They also participated in a skills competition for dribbling, passing and shooting. P.E. coaches conducted weekly practices for the six weeks leading up to the event, and for many players, it was their first experience being part of an athletic team.<\/p>\n

\"Rocketship<\/a>

Dribbling past some fierce opponents.<\/p><\/div>\n

Integrated Special Education Teacher Hannah Gray, who coordinated the event to engage her students outside the classroom, watched all the players grow and learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was great to see kids in the hallways who I don’t normally get to work with tell me how excited they were for basketball practice after school.\u00a0 The practices were pretty exhausting, but seeing all of the hard work pay off on the faces of the kids was totally worth it,\u201d Ms. Gray said.<\/p>\n

After this pilot season with three schools, Ms. Gray hopes the Special Olympics partnership can expand to include all of the Bay Area schools. Luckily, at least one parent has her back. Thinking of how much she and Bryce loved the event, Kruger calls for more fun and inclusive opportunities to meet families from different schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to see more of it. There should be more programs like this, all year-round,\u201d Kruger said.<\/p>\n\n\t\t