THUNDER BAY - Student athletes at a local high school were proud to hold up a flag that they will soon be competing under later this year.
On Tuesday, students at Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute, along with members of the Thunder Bay Police Service and Knights of Columbus, participated in a flag raising ceremony for the upcoming Special Olympics Ontario School Championships.
“One of the pillars of Special Olympics is awareness and this is a great event for awareness for Special Olympics,” said David Workman, a special needs multiuse classroom teacher at Westgate. “It’s recognition for the athletes and their ability to perform and participate and the social growth.”
The flag has travelled throughout Ontario and it will make its way to the Niagara region for the provincial championships that will be held from June 12 to 14.
Workman has travelled with the team from Westgate to previous championships and he said students participating in the Special Olympics achieve a lot more than medals or first place finishes.
“It’s very meaningful for the students participating in the Special Olympics,” he said. “It provides them with a whole range of benefits. One is inclusion, social inclusion through sports. Another one is lifelong physical activity.”
“The statistic is there is a 16 per cent higher rate of employment for students who participate in the Special Olympics who are identified with an intellectual disability than students or people who are identified with an intellectual disability who are not involved in Special Olympics,” Workman continued.
This year, Westgate will be sending 27 student athletes to compete in sports ranging from track and field, to soccer and basketball, to floor hockey.
“We have students that are very active in the sport and quite competitive and we have students that are there where the social inclusion is the most important piece,” Workman said. “It has a wide range of focuses.”
