HIGH ACHIEVERS: Award-winning Special Olympics unified partner Elliott Hartell views life through many lenses

By Martin Cleary

If you could categorize the last six years of Elliott Hartell’s fulfilling teenage life into four parts, it would go something like this – education, basketball, volunteerism and music, and not necessarily in that order.

And Glebe Collegiate Institute played a major role in allowing him to excel as a student, an athlete and an individual dedicated to coaching peers with special needs and blending them into daily high school life.

Away from school, Hartell loves music, especially playing the guitar. For the past four years, he was a part of the seven-week Bluesfest School of Music and Art program, where a group of seven to 10 students composed two songs and played them on the final night of Bluesfest.

At his Grade 12 graduation in June, Hartell bid farewell to Glebe, after four years of opportunities that turned into golden moments, whether on the basketball floor, in the classroom or improving the lives of students with developmental and physical disabilities.

As a student, he graduated with a 94.4 per cent average and earned many honours – the Michael O’Meara Award for athletic and community achievements, the Principal’s leadership award, the Principal’s citation, a French immersion certificate, an Ontario scholar certificate, the school’s Silver Medal for achieving an academic average of 90 per cent or more, and the school’s equity unity award.

On the basketball court, he played three years with the Gryphons boys’ senior team as a point guard under head coach Alex Overwijk. Hartell fully appreciated playing an advanced 50-game season, which included numerous tournaments outside regular league play.

While Hartell was accepted into Queen’s University and McGill University to study kinesiology for the 2025-26 academic year, he deferred his decision and is in the second month of his gap year.

But he is enrolled in the Canada Topflight Academy prep school program to improve his basketball skills with hopes of playing for a U Sports university team in 2026-27.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Hartell’s life was his dedication to bettering the lives of the 10 students with developmental and physical disabilities in the school’s community living class. The students range in age up to 21.

At the start of Grade 10, Glebe education assistant Angela Nixon asked Hartell to be the captain of the Unified Champion Schools program. He happily accepted the challenge and introduced the students to five sports over the school year and blended them into the school fabric.

“I got started because of a coincidence. At the end of Grade 9, I helped at the athletic banquet. I ran into the EA (Nixon), who ran the (Unified) program,” Hartell explained in a phone interview on Wednesday. “She told me to send her an email when I started Grade 10. She put me in charge of the Unified sports.”

Over the three years and with regular appearances at Glebe school events, the program grew to 60 students from six students wanting to coach the community living class students. Every two months, Hartell would lead his team of students through a new sport, whether it was soccer, floor hockey, basketball, bocce or track and field.

“I started as captain of the team in Grade 10 and I ran practices and organized who would go to tournaments,” he added. “I also promoted the team in our community … (as well as) inclusivity and fair play.”

The Unified support staff grew because Hartell made his team part of the every-day school life at Glebe.

“They (coaches) would hang out with the kids and that uplifted their spirits. People loved being with our team and it was cool.”

The work Hartell has put into the Unified Champion School program didn’t go unnoticed by Special Olympics Ontario.

In early September, Hartell learned he was named the recipient of the 2025 Unified Partner of the Year Award for his leadership, dedication and “the meaningful impact you’ve made on the athletes and the Special Olympics community.” He will receive the award Oct. 23 in Aurora, ON.

About a week later, the Ontario Hockey League and Special Olympics Ontario announced Hartell was one of five David Branch Leadership Scholarship winners. Branch served as OHL commissioner for 45 seasons and was a champion of education, inclusion and personal growth.

He will receive a $5,000 scholarship, when he enrols at university. Hartell was honoured because his “commitment to inclusion and personal growth embodies the spirit and values that David Branch championed throughout his career in hockey and beyond.”

Hartell, who is thankful for the full support of his parents and grandparents, was surprised and honoured to receive the two major awards, but his greatest reward was feeling uplifted by his student team every day.

“In my three-year run, I would say at the end of the day the students just filled my bucket,” he said with enthusiasm. “They were so positive and energetic and lived life to the fullest. At the end of the day, I always left feeling much better than when I came in.

“They were a lot more a part of the school than just their own little section. I am a big advocate for inclusion and everyone deserves access to sport. It’s important.”

When Hartell enrols in university, he not only hopes to be playing on a varsity men’s basketball team, but also he intends to be part of motionballU, which supports “the Special Olympics by creating on-campus events and initiatives to raise money and awareness through inclusive social and sporting activities.”

This article is part of the Ottawa Sports Pages’ Inclusion in Sport series. Read more about local sport inclusion initiatives at: OttawaSportsPages.ca/Ottawa-Sports-Pages-Inclusion-In-Sport-Series/.