Hundreds
of students who would otherwise be unable to participate
in a track meet were invited to the Laurentian University
track to participate in Thursday’s Rainbow District
School Board Challenge Meet.
“It’s a great
opportunity for our students and their families to come
out and watch them participate in athletics,” Special
Education Programs and Services principal Colleen McDonald
told Sudbury.com of the day’s meet, which was rescheduled
from earlier in the month due to poor weather.
A longstanding tradition of the past several years, the
annual track meet saw approximately 330 students with
special needs invited from 22 Rainbow District schools
to participate in such events as races, high jump, long
jump, softball throw, shot put and other common track
events.
“Quite often, students
that would participate in the Challenge Meet wouldn’t
normally be able to go to a regular track and field meet
because there wouldn't be the right level of support or
accommodations for them to compete fully,” McDonald
said.
Staff from throughout the
school division come together for the event to support
students alongside parents, grandparents and guardians.
“I find that the students
just love to get out there and see their friends from
other schools,” McDonald said, adding that they
“just like the opportunity to get out there and
be involved in the day.”
“It’s wonderful
for the parents to come out and see their child at a track
meet for the first time,” she said. “There’s
a lot of school spirit, a lot of staff.”
Tyler Clarke covers city
hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
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