On March 4, ADM students attended Unified Sports Day at the MidAmerican RecPlex. This day allowed the Intro to Education and the students in the special education program to work together. Staff, peers, and students came together to make this day possible and entertaining for everyone.
In the morning, everyone gathered in Mrs. Hickman’s room. Here, the Intro to Education students were assigned a “buddy” who they’d be spending the day with. In addition to the student helpers, associates were also around to help out. Many Intro to Ed students enjoyed this day, including senior Kelsey Greenslade who plans to major in Ag Education in the fall.
“The purpose of us having a buddy was to connect with them and to get to know them on a deeper level,” Greenslade said.
After meeting in Mrs. Hickman’s room, they got on a bus and drove to the MidAmerican RecPlex. They arrived at an opening ceremony discussing why the day and collaboration were important.
“We got to interact with not only the high school special education students, but also elementary special education students, and help our buddies interact with them as well,” Greenslade said.
There were numerous stations for students to participate in including pickleball, basketball, track and field games, and soccer. Throughout these stations, there was one Intro to Ed student who was designated to hop around and help out when needed. At the end of the day, Chick-fil-A was catered for everyone, and they got on a bus and headed back to school.
Special Education Strategist, Kristine Hickman, who attended and helped make this day possible, thought the field trip was beneficial to everyone involved.
“Not only were they [Intro to Ed students] engaged with our students [special education students], but they had great questions and were willing to participate in the activities,” said Hickman.
Hickman values the lessons and skills her students were able to learn through connection on Unified Sports Day.
“I think for my students, it’s always good when they get to interact with people who are similar in age. Especially on the topic of communication and also in engagement,” said Hickman. “Having a closer-to-age peer engage in the activity also encourages them to participate. A big goal this year I have for the students I serve is to really increase their communication. Anytime they’re getting to work on that with peers, all the better.”
There are skills from Unified Sports Day that ADM students will be able to use for a lifetime whether they end up pursuing a career in education or not.
“Anyone who’s working with students will almost always get the opportunity to interact with unique learners who do have maybe a disability that they’re bringing into the space, ” Hickman said. “As much knowledge, experience, and comfort that they create, as well as curiosity to understand how the student works, the better as they move forward in life and possible career choices.”
The unified peer partner’s role was to engage and be with the students. As a Unified Peer, their main goal was to bring more joy and involvement to the students. The staff managed all aspects of safety and anything that would have been prescribed through an IEP process.
“It was a really great opportunity for all of us to engage and interact. Even for the associates on our team, they were thrilled too. To have such good questions and interaction happening with the peers that doesn’t always get to happen on campus,” said Hickman.
There are many benefits to connecting with peers outside of a school setting.
“Lots of times, we might show up in a classroom and that setting is much more structured and predictable because everyone has a unique job of learning. Getting to be off campus in a setting that was all about play and engagement was the complete focus of the day,” said Hickman.
Now, as they forward to Special Olympics, the Intro to Ed students have more experience as they move into a competitive space. They know how to work with students, peers, and their buddies.
“It was just so impactful because I didn’t know any of those students very well, and I got to spend time knowing each one of them better,” said Greenslade. “Seeing the joy on the student’s faces was supper fun because a lot of the time, we don’t think about how their disabilities can challenge what they’re able to do.”
