By Jaicee Johnson

There are many programs at Guyer High School that provide an inclusive space for the special education students. One of these programs is Partner PE, a physical education program to help students with developmental or physical disabilities. The students have the opportunity to obtain their athletic credit by serving as peer helpers called “partners.” The purpose of this program is to meet the needs of SpEd students who cannot meet the requirements of regular gym class. General education students can join this program to assist their classmates in receiving a memorable experience in PhysEd. 

Every year the schools in the Denton Independent School District participate in a nationwide event called the Special Olympics. This is an invitational sports event for teachers and students. They compete in activities that include running, jumping, relay racing, and many more with the assistance of general education volunteers. These activities give the students the chance to compete and win a prize ribbon. The annual event was held on Thursday, April 6th. In the Guyer football fields, with a great turnout of students. The event was a fun and memorable experience for everyone involved. 

Coach Eason is a partner PE teacher and was one of the key parts in the success of this year’s Special Olympics at Guyer. Beyond being a welcoming host, Eason made sure all students and coaches from participating schools were taken care of and had a great time at the event. “Any opportunity for our kids to have fun and get to show off their skills to their parents is something we wanna do.” Eason said. 

One of the many outstanding students who participated in the Special Olympics was Nicholas Cook, a Junior student at Guyer. Nicholas won three first place ribbons in the Shot Put competition, the 25 meter dash, and the relay race. Cook showed his extraordinary athletic abilities in the competitions he participated in through his speed and strength and excellent teamwork abilities. Despite all the fun that he had in every event, Cook said his favorite event to do was the relay race.  

Many different Guyer teams and clubs volunteered to help out in the Special Olympics, these included; the track teams, student council, the best buddies club and student helpers from the Partner PE program. Simi Daulla, a freshman who is enrolled in the Partner PE program said “I love these events [Special Olympics] and Partner PE because it’s rewarding to be able to help others.” 

Coach Phelps, who teaches Partner PE alongside Coach Eason, spent his time at the event helping to make sure everything ran smoothly and sending many encouraging messages to the student participants. “The Special Olympics were a great opportunity for our students to show their abilities to the rest of the school and others around the Denton area.”  Phelps commented on the success of the event.

Photography by Carina George