Participants running towards the finish line at the Special Olympics. Photo by Cassandra Reyes.
By Jett-Le Tran Le and Anna Silva
The Pace Program here at Malden High is a program open to students across all grade levels who have physical and cognitive learning disabilities.
Barbara Scibelli created a program available to the Pace students called Unified Sports, a class that has been offered at MHS for about 10 years. Through the program, Scibelli explains how “kids with disabilities get to have a typical high school life. 10 years ago, these students [did not] even get to leave the classroom.[Now], they get to eat in a lunchroom with other students; high-fiving them.”
The program offers students with disabilities a chance to meet other students in the school, Scibelli says that “This unites everybody, [and] everybody has their own abilities, and they all help each other out.”
There are 28 leaders that help out with the 30 Pace students in Unified Sports. One of the leaders is Senior Fatima Lhaloui. She said that this class is enjoyable because “[she] can bond with [the Pace students] after a long day, [and she can] make [a] genuine connection with them.”
Lhaloui found out about the Pace program during freshman year. She explained that “[her] brother has down syndrome and [she] knew that this was a class here at the high school but [she] never knew that [she could] help out with [the Pace students].”
Senior Izabelly Barros is another leader of Unified Sports. Barros has been taking the class since her sophomore year. She said that “[her] favorite part of the class is the energy and positivity everyone brings in once [the students] stepped foot into the class.” She enjoys the fact that “everyone is having fun and smiling…friendship is always growing and [everyone in the class is] always bonding together.”
Although Barros has only been involved with the program during high school, she explained how “[she] always had a talent working with students that are younger than [her]. [The Pace students] want the typical high school experience and [she] always likes helping out and volunteering as well and [she] wanted to do this to see how it would be.”
Barros recommends the class because, “[it is] an experience that you will definitely remember for the rest of your life.” She said that “they are a bright light into the room and [there are many friendships you can gain].”
Unified Sports is a full year class offered to Malden High students who are interested in promoting social inclusion for Pace students through athletics and encouraging good sportsmanship.
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