Going for Gold!
May 19, 2022 12:00AM ● By Story and photos by Seti Long
Sycamore School students and staff were all smiles at the special Track and Field Day. Pictured from left to right: Emilia Lopez, Elsie Lawrence, Laura Rodriguez, Logan Oyanguren, Nico Negrete, Stephanie Garcia and Jenna Wilson.
GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – For the second year in a row, Gridley hosted an event that had previously been put on by the county before COVID – a Special Olympics style event for our youth in the area with special needs!
“Last year, we were able to do it for Gridley and it just meant so much to the family and kids,” said Maggie Daugherty, Coordinator of Alternative and Special Education for the Gridley Unified School District. “I think it was really important to have it closer to home, so it was more of a community event.”
Not only did Gridley Schools participate this year, but Manzanita and Biggs were invited as well. Unfortunately, Biggs was unable to attend, but the students that did come out, came out with huge smiles on their faces ready to compete.
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The event was held at the Gridley High School football field and track. Each student got a special shirt and students from grades K-12 were invited to take part in a range of activities including a bubble station, face painting, a photo booth, ring toss and much more. Qualifying events included the 25-, 50- and 100-meter dash, 25-, 50- and 100-meter trike race and a relay race. All participants received a shining gold medal, of which they could not be prouder of!
Crystal Cabrera, parent of a student at the event, shared that it meant a lot to her and her daughter, Cheyenne, to participate in an event like this. Cabrera also said that the event is “really awesome” and that it makes the students, and her daughter feel that “they can do anything they want to do. The awards just make them feel special and it brings the community out to cheer them on.”
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The event was supported by the Butte County Office of Education and GUSD professionals including an adaptive physical education (PE) teacher, orthopedic impairment specialist, occupational therapist, PE staff from both Wilson and Sycamore Schools, speech therapists, and school psychologists. Also, on hand to support the event were GUSD staff, multiple volunteers ranging from Gridley High School leadership students to parents and community volunteers.
