Strayer Hall gymnasium was transformed into an Olympic Stadium on February 25, 2006, as seventy-five developmentally disabled children, their parents, and siblings were welcomed by cheering Masters School students and faculty.

The occasion was the Special Olympics Junior Games, returning after a one-year hiatus. Since early fall, a committee of twenty Masters School students, working through MISH (Masters Interested in Sharing and Helping), the School’s community service program, organized every detail of the Saturday event, which began with a parade of “athletes” and an opening torch lighting ceremony, of course. The one-on-one student volunteers accompanied their young charges through a lively afternoon filled with fun games and activities, jumping thrills in a “bouncy castle,” and lunch.

Each of the young athletes lived up to the spirit of the Special Olympics Junior Games motto: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” At the end of the day, the young participants ages three and older and the one hundred fifty Masters School students who hosted them returned to their respective homes all gold medal winners!

Read the Journal News account of the Special Olympics >>

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