Last spring, North Thurston High School successfully pioneered a Special Olympics unified soccer team, the first in the district. A “unified” team is defined as one which promotes “social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. Unified sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team.” Unified teams aim to grow friendship and understanding through shared experiences on the court or field.
Led by first year special education teacher Michela Laverty, students with special needs combined with general education partners to compete against other teams in the state, including Rogers, Enumclaw, Foss, and Puyallup. They finished third in districts and the program was a tremendous success. But Laverty isn’t stopping there.
This year, Laverty teamed up with fellow teachers Eric Weight and Brian Bigelow and the trio organized the district’s first unified basketball team. “The participation and reception of the soccer team last year were so positive that I knew we had to keep going,” Laverty says. Practices began in December in the new Sleater-Kinney Annex (SKA) facility across from North Thurston and were immediately full of both partners and athletes. The team’s first tournament was January 9 at Timberline High School, which hosted a variety of other teams as well. Each team played multiple twenty minute games throughout the morning and an enormous turnout of NTHS students showed up to give support.
“It really just restores my faith in humanity,” says NTHS senior Richard Nava, who showed up with the jazz choir to cheer on the team. “Everyone is so kind to each other and it’s heartwarming to see how happy the athletes are.” Indeed, nothing is quite equal to the sensation of watching students who have struggled socially and academically be given the opportunity to play with their peers and to shoot hoops.
Sophomore Kenny Thai, a confident player on the court and capable of shooting three-pointers, is contrasted by sophomore Ronnie Dupre, who felt very anxious during practices but made a fantastic shot to win the game. Both boys were cheered on by the student section decked out in NTHS purple and waving homemade signs for each of the players.
Many of the soccer team partners returned this year for basketball. Senior Aerial Edwards, a unified partner on both teams, says, “They really are amazing kids and I am glad to help out in a program that helps get them included in more school activities. They are all amazing in their own ways and it is really cool to see them come out of their shell and shine.”
The NTHS partners are incredible in that they don’t play to win. The teams are mildly competitive, but the purpose of a partner is to help the student athletes learn to play and enable them to succeed. As a partner, Aerial will help by moving the ball down the court or blocking an opponent, but she passes the ball to one of the athletes to let them take the shot.
Many of the student athletes, like senior Marcus Tollefson, have become popular with the NTHS students for their positive attitudes and outgoing personalities. Marcus was thrilled about joining and says, “This is so much fun. I’ve made new friends and I feel famous!”
The positive attention and encouragement given by their peers really seems to brighten the student’s outlook and give them courage. Being around the student athletes is magical. The environment is respectful, nonjudgmental, and exciting. Everyone is ready to try their hardest and have fun. “If we have fun,” Coach Laverty says, “it doesn’t matter if we win.” Every game at Timberline was inspiring and had an air of collaborative support, with teams cheering for each other and players taking goofy selfies together.
The new Special Olympics unified basketball program is making a huge difference in the community, and the first games were attended by many NTHS students, including Principal Steve Rood. Laverty hopes other high schools in the area will follow her lead and expand their special education opportunities.
At only 24 years old, Laverty has managed to touch her students lives through her tutoring and unified sports programs. She has big plans for the NTHS special education department and hopes to keep the enthusiasm and momentum going.
