50 Students Participate In Nantucket High School's Special Olympics

Roughly 50 Nantucket Public School students participated in this year’s Special Olympics at Vito Capizzo Stadium Friday morning. Over 20 high school student’s volunteered their time to support the participants and run stations while hundreds of students packed the bleachers to cheer them on during the games.

Nantucket Public Schools Wellness Department Head Natalie Thompson oversees the event. She said that the students who gave their time are members of their “PE Pals” class and from the school’s “Best Buddies” group. There is a wide array of games available, ranging from bowling to hula hooping to relay races.

“I think this is the sixth year I’ve really taken it over and I think it’s the fifth year that it’s been a majority of the high school kids that are volunteering,” Thompson said. “We have a PE Pals class, which is essentially our adaptive PE class, and this is their culminating project final that we come off and we put this event on for everybody.”

Members of the Nantucket Police Department – including police chief Jody Kasper – and members of the Nantucket Fire Department were in attendance and handed out medals to each participant at the conclusion of the games.

Thompson said while she oversees the Special Olympics, she gives the credit to the students who put everything together and make the day special for the kids.

“It’s really run by my high school kids. They put all the input in for what we do and what works and doesn’t work,” Thompson said. “This is a day for everybody to have fun. Everybody gets to come here and smile. My three rules for stations are they’re having fun, they’re safe, and they’re having fun. That is what it is. It impacts the entire district because you look at the stands and you have whole classrooms down here cheering kids on. Kids that maybe don’t always get cheered on individually. You have kids having their names chanted, having signs. You look around and everyone is enjoying themselves. Some of these kids, my high school kids, they’re like idols for the day. These elementary kids will come down to the field and see them and latch onto them.”

Photos below are by Chris Tran.