Sweet Home Junior High unveiled its new Unified Basketball program as the Tigers hosted French Prairie.
The game took place in front of an audience of the SHJH student body, who filled the south stands in the Main Gym at Sweet Home High School.
The visitors finished on top, by a two-basket 52-48 margin, but a good time was had by all. The home crowd cheered the visiting team as lustily as they did their own players.
SHJH Assistant Principal Amanda GaVette said the idea for starting a Unified program for students who may not be able to participate in regular sports started a few years ago after she and Principal Nate Tyler arrived at the school.
“I said, ‘I have this crazy idea: What do you think about putting together a unified sports team?’ and he was all for it,” she said of Tyler.
She said school staffers have stepped up to get the program rolling and students received some instruction on what unified sports is all about.
“We really made sure that they put together signs for both Sweet Home and French Prairie because it’s really just a big celebration for everyone,” GaVette said.
The chance to play at the high school was very big deal, she said.
“They were just jazzed when the unified team found out that we were playing at the high school. It was like, the biggest smiles, the best reactions.”
Lebanon has also started a program at Seven Oak Middle School and Sweet Home plans to play there March 5, she said.
The goal, she said, is to develop year-round unified sports. A kickball team is next on the agenda and she said the Junior High may field a team when the high school unified program hosts its annual tournament in the spring.
Judging from the cheering and clapping, waving signs, and rhythmic stomping from the fans in the stands, everybody appeared to be having a fine time at the game.
“Yeah, the kids have been so great and purposeful inclusion, and they really are like teammates on and off the court as well now,” GaVette said. “So it’s pretty special.”
