Special Olympics school championships to be held in Niagara
The Special Olympics 2017 Provincial School Championships are coming to Niagara in June.
And with that, the Niagara Regional Police have named Special Olympics pioneer Frank Hayden as their honorary chief of police. The NRP will also be the official sponsors of the championships, which will take place June 12-14.
NRP acting Deputy Chief Mark McMullen made the announcement standing alongside Hayden last week during a Special Olympics Day celebration in Niagara Falls.
“I can’t tell you what it means to me to be standing here today,” said Hayden, who is from Niagara, lived in St. Catharines and attended St. Catharines Collegiate.
“After my history here, and then travelling so many places, seeing it (the Special Olympics) here is really something very special for me.”
McMullen said that bringing the Special Olympics provincial championships to Niagara has been in the works for a year and that now they’re just finishing off the heavy lifting, getting everything set for June.
“The relationship between law enforcement and the Special Olympics has been a long one, so getting the games here is a fantastic opportunity for us.”
He said he appreciates the opportunity the Special Olympics provides for people to see the softer side of the police force.
“To have it come to our home area is fantastic. Student reaction is tremendous,” said Rock Aitchison, a special education teacher at Stamford Collegiate.
“What we really enjoy is that we’ve introduced a new ‘unified concept’, which is mainstream (regular academic) kids participating with the Special Olympics athletes. It’s really exciting to see our mainstream kids work as both leaders and supporters.”
Ben Kalchman, a Grade 12 student from E.L. Crossley who is participating in the unified program, says that it’s been a personal growth experience for him.
“I find that I’m a lot more aware and open-minded of all the different disabilities out there, as well as how great the kids are. Even though they have disabilities, they’re still just as great as everyone else.”
The championships will take place across Niagara, with most being held at Brock University.