Student Athletes Shine at Unified Game Day

Around 250 students from 13 schools in Burlington, Wilmington, and Billerica gathered on May 10 at Wilmington High School to celebrate the sixth Unified Game Day. Students from Francis Wyman, Pine Glen, and Marshall Simonds, along with buddies from the high school, competed in events from Long Jump to Soccer in front of stands filled with their families. "It was a really good day," said Kristen DeMarco, Francis Wyman Special Education Team Chair and Director of Extended Year Services, who helped support the event for Burlington. "The kids had fun. It was perfect weather."

Preparation for this event began in early fall, as teachers began to identify students receiving adaptive programming or physical education accommodations who might benefit from the extra practice and the recognition of their efforts. "PE is a really good outlet for some kids but it’s also really challenging for some kids," said DeMarco. "We wanted our kids to feel successful and challenge them at their level." To support that goal, P.E. teachers were made aware of each student's event and gave students the opportunity to practice the specific skills they needed to be successful.

The parameters for the event were set by Special Olympics of Massachusetts, and rotations were organized by Wilmington to ensure the day ran smoothly. On the day of the event, the students received a fire and police escort as they traveled from their Burlington Schools to Wilmington High School. The district's School Resource Officers stayed at the event for the entire day, with middle school SRO Dom Calicchio running the torch with a seventh-grade student from Marshall Simonds.

After rotating through each event, the kids participated in a closing ceremony, where they received medals for their hard work. According to DeMarco, having high school buddies buddies made a big difference for the middle and elementary school kids. The buddies kept the younger kids who were competing engaged and ensured they knew what to do for each event.

Along with administrators, School Committee members, and teachers, the event was supported by Burlington High School students, who created and screen printed the design for the participant t-shirt, and Wegmans, who donated the t-shirts themselves, as well as money to cover expenses for the Game Day.

For DeMarco, the day was extra special, as she was able to see students she worked with in her K-2 classroom who are now in middle school and even high school. "I like seeing and connecting with all the kids that I’ve had relationships with and teachers I’ve worked with in the past."

The most important part of the day, though? Having fun and giving students the opportunity to celebrate their successes.