Gabbi Sullivan and her fellow students in the Grade 12 business leadership and management class at St. Patrick’s secondary school in Sarnia were on a mission Wednesday.
Gabbi Sullivan and her fellow students in the Grade 12 business leadership and management class at St. Patrick’s secondary school in Sarnia were on a mission Wednesday.
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It was the second year students in the class have organized a qualifying Ontario Special Olympics three-on-three high school basketball tournament in the gym at St. Patrick’s.
“We’re just trying to make an inclusive environment for everyone,” Sullivan said.
This year’s tournament had 68 athletes on 12 teams from five Lambton County secondary schools: St. Patrick’s, Northern Collegiate, North Lambton, Great Lakes and Alexander Mackenzie.
Sullivan said 15 to 20 volunteers were helping out the 18 students in this year’s class.
“I’m very excited for today,” she said.
Last year’s tournament was larger with schools from Chatham-Kent also participating but they’re holding their own qualifying event this year, said Megan Woodward, teacher of the leadership class at St. Patrick’s.
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It’s a chance for the leadership students to use what they have been learning, she said.
“They have to think on their feet,” works as a team and “deal with real-life problems as they arise,” Woodward said.
The students spent about six weeks planning this year’s tournament, using guidelines from Special Olympics Ontario.
“We want to make sure all students feel confident and have an opportunity to represent their school,” Woodward said.
“Everyone’s valued, everyone gets to showcase their God-given talents and they’re all part of something bigger than themselves,” said Scott Johnson, education director for the St. Clair Catholic District School Board.
“It’s just incredible celebration of humanity and sport coming together,” he said while visiting the tournament. “It’s great for our student leaders, it’s great for our athletes, it’s great for our parents and our community partners.”
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The tournament “has been tremendous for our area, to give these kids an opportunity to compete locally where, historically, we haven’t had this,” said Justin Farina, a teacher and coach at Alexander Mackenzie. It had three teams at the tournament.
Alexander Mackenzie started out hosting a Special Olympics soccer tournament a few years ago and “then St. Pat’s came on board” with the basketball event, he said.
Winning teams Wednesday will have the chance to move on to a provincial tournament being held next June in Ottawa, Farina said.
The tournament is co-ed but Farina coached an all-girls squad during an opening game Wednesday that Alexander Mackenzie won 12-11.
“We were lucky that we had a group of young girls in our school who were willing to compete as a unit,” he said.
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Law enforcement is a supporter of Special Olympics and several police officers were among the spectators, including Const. Amy O’Keefe, with Lambton OPP who is a local Torch Run liaison.
Along with the annual Torch Run for Special Olympics, law enforcement in the Sarnia area holds other fund-raising events, including the upcoming second annual polar plunge March 8 at Lambton College.
Last year, 100 officers and others who took the plunge into a bin filled with water raised about $38,000.
“We’ve set a goal of $40,000 this year,” O’Keefe said.
Information is available online at polarplunge.ca.
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