Photo by Kristi Leonard
Henry Hiltner encourages Bella Maiorano-Stanoff after she scores a basket in the unified basketball game at TMS.

By Kristi Leonard
The Surveyor

Turner Middle School adaptive physical education coach Brad Nelson has had a vision for many years to begin a unified basketball team at Turner Middle School (TMS) and this year that dream came to fruition.

Unified sports are a part of the Special Olympics. Unified sports join kids with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It is inspired by the simple principle that training and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. Berthoud High School (BHS) has had a unified basketball team for many years. BHS also has unified athletes compete in track and field.

The Thompson School District (TSD) school board voted to fund unified sports programs across all of the middle schools in the district this year. It was a joint project with TSD funding coaches’ stipends and transportation for the students to travel to other schools to play. While the Special Olympics paid for the uniforms and balls.

Intensive Learning Center teacher Alex Wolfe and paraprofessional Claire Doyle coached the team. TMS Athletic Director, Paul Farus refereed the games. TMS plays in a nine-team league with all of TSD middle schools in addition to Windsor and Severance Middle School.

TMS supported an informational campaign through classes, called Spread the Word. The purpose was to raise awareness of the need to respect and include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Students involved with the Inclusion Club created a bulletin board to inform others about autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Lessons were taught about ASD so students could understand classmates who may be diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions. TMS students learned about some of the behaviors associated with autism such as difficulties interacting with other people, trouble using and understanding nonverbal communication as well as repeated behaviors and interests. They also were taught that people with ASD may have special sensitivities and a unique style of learning, moving or focusing on things. Famous people with ASD like NASCAR race car driver Armani Williams and “Beetlejuice” director Tim Burton were featured.

As a culmination of the campaign, TMS watched and cheered on the unified basketball team playing a game during the Earth Day assembly this Monday. Thirteen students played in the game.

Modifications are made for the unified athletes. A hula hoop is hung from the basket for athletes who need to shoot at a lower goal and a clothes basket is used for those who have difficulty raising the ball above their heads. Rather than running up and down the court, trying to steal the ball from the opponents, support players move at the speed of the unified athletes. They encourage everyone to shoot.

The gym erupted with cheers when Royal McCoy-Dunn dunked the ball into the hula hoop. Nick Young responded with a couple of baskets for the other team. Derrick Ealy was stellar at grabbing rebounds and dribbling his way to his side of the court. Clark Dougherty brought the ball down and gave it to Bella Maiorano-Stanoff who got in on the action as she shot into a clothes basket, with the whole school roaring approval for her efforts.

The final game for the unified athletes is April 26 at 4:30 p.m. at the TMS gymnasium. Admission is free but the experience of watching the game is priceless.