By Dan Plouffe
Glebe Collegiate earned the top result out of Ottawa-Carleton District School Board schools that traveled to Waterloo for the 4 Corners Special Olympics basketball tournament in May.
Bujar Bullaku, Biko Melville, Jacob Cameron, Richard Kalonji, and Jamie McKnight, along with coaches Stephanie King and Angela Nixon, celebrated a silver medal victory, while Woodroffe and Bell scored bronze medals in their divisions.
“Their representation of the Ottawa region was stellar,” King notes by e-mail. “They played the game to the best of their ability every second they were on the court. Glebe, Woodroffe, and Bell can be proud of how their schools were represented.”
The event was particularly treasured since it was a rare opportunity for students to play in a competitive tournament where they can test themselves against others of similar ability.
“They demonstrated good sportsmanship when the team they were playing was not as good as they were, and they learned how to cope with frustration when the team they were playing was better than they were,” King adds. “But most importantly, they experienced the quintessential high school experience of a trip away from home with your friends from school.
“The high school trip that for many people becomes one of those life stories that you tell for years to come. I know that I still share stories from my first high school trip, and it was one of the greatest pleasures of my teaching career to provide this experience to the amazing athletes from my classroom. From what I observed they enjoyed every second of this experience!”