Two schools prove value of playing in unity

It is our national affliction. We too often refer to “them,” not “us.”

Especially when we are assigning blame.

It is always someone else’s fault.

We reside in a nation that so glorifies what unites us that we put it in our name, but today in these decidedly less than United States we focus on what divides us, instead of what brings us together.

We used to revel in our differences, our diversity, the fact that we could take all these elements, place them in the “melting pot,” and emerge as one nation.

We accomplished great things. By working together.

Today we distrust those who are different. We are quick to point fingers. We distrust those who do not look or act like us.

We no longer take pride in “us.” Instead we fear “them.”

Which is why something that happened last week is so “special.”

And make no mistake, special is the applicable word.

Students from Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor and Saint Katherine Day School joined forces for a bocce competition against Souderton Area High School.

It marked the first time an archdiocesan school fielded a unified team that included special education students. The match, set up by the Special Olympics Interscholastic Unified Sports, was the first time in the state that a private or parochial school fielded a unified sports program, according to Mike Bovino, senior adviser for Special Olympics Pennsylvania.

Bovino called it “historic and groundbreaking.”

We would call it something else: Heart-warming, and a reminder that there are still places where we strive to come together, to unify, instead of being driven apart.

That also can refer to the special relationship between Saint Katherine’s and Carroll. They share a building, but are separate schools.

Last week they united in a most special sports competition.

Carroll President Frank Fox described the special relationship between the two schools, which has now flourished for nearly two decades.

“The students eat together, act in plays together, and become friends,” Fox said.

Now he can add another one to the list: Play together.

And when this unified team took the court, they had plenty of support. The bleachers were filled with Carroll students, including members of the wrestling team, girls and boys basketball teams, as well as the cheerleaders.

Matthew Rodgers, 17, a student at Saint Katherine’s, beamed as he took part in the competition.

“It’s good and I have a lot of fun,” he said.

It’s more than that, Matthew.

No one knows that more than his homeroom teacher, Bridget Mscisz.

“I think it’s so great when kids get their chance to be on a PIAA team,” Mscisz said. “Their favorite thing is to hang out with the Carroll kids. It’s such a joy for them to get this change.”

It’s not just the Saint Katherine kids who realize this is a very special experience. The Carroll kids know it, too.

“I think it makes it a really special experience,” said Mirabelle Gallagher, 15, a Carroll sophomore from Havertown. and a member of the bocce team.

Students practice twice a week and play a minimum of three competitions against other Unified Indoor Bocce teams.

Special Olympics Pa now partners with 145 high schools throughout the state and provides funding support, resources and technical guidance for the competitions.

Bovino says the program evens the playing field, allowing special students to experience the thrill and camaraderie of high school athletics.

He points out that a child in a wheelchair can now take part in competition just like an all-state football player.

There is nothing different about these kids. They compete with their counterparts, just as every other PIAA athlete does.

That is, after all, in essence the magic of sports. It is something that brings us – all of us – together.

Regardless of our differences. United. Special indeed.