More than 400 students from East Bay schools converged in late October for the annual Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) Special Olympics Soccer Day, hosted at Liberty High School.
Students ranging from kindergarten to transition-age took part in a variety of soccer games and activities, including individual skills drills and tournament team play. Students in general education were on hand to encourage their classmates and interact in a unique and engaging environment.
“We would like to thank Liberty High School’s teacher, Summer Rodriguez, who always does a fabulous job of helping to organize her leadership students, who serve as event volunteers,” said Sherri Roberti, CCCOE Special Olympics Schools Partnership Program coordinator and special education teacher. “Summer and her students worked tirelessly throughout the entire day. She and Liberty High School graciously host two events per year, (soccer and track) and do a wonderful job with both!”
Participating schools included: Krey Elementary, Los Medanos College and Turner Elementary; Hillview, Martin Luther King, Edna Hill, O’Hara Park, Park and Rancho Medanos middle schools; Antioch, Deer Valley, Freedom, Heritage, Liberty and Pittsburg high schools; and Deer Valley, Gateway Program, Heritage and Liberty transition schools.
The Special Olympics Northern California (SONC) Schools Partnership Program is a unique sports and education initiative that is active in more than 430 public K-12 schools, positively impacting 45,600 students in special education and general education programs. Through Unified Sports®, Special Olympics brings together students with and without intellectual disabilities to compete as teammates; while also supporting whole-school involvement activities and awareness campaigns to help build inclusion, respect and acceptance on campuses at an early age.
*Credit in part to Jonathan Lance, CCCOE