For the fifth year in a row, Silver Creek Central School District is continuing to celebrate a message of inclusion. Districtwide, students and staff participated in Choose to Include Week March 4-8 in partnership with Spread the Word, an organization dedicated to ending the exclusion of people with disabilities, in collaboration with Special Olympics.
“Choose to Include is a way for our Black Knight family to come together as exactly that: a family. Our differences are what make us each unique, inclusion is about taking action to be sure everyone has a place and space to belong, because 'Silver Creek Cares',” said Director of Special Education Megan Cook, referencing a new motto for the district.
Youth Activation Committee (YAC) students and staff collaborated on displays, a themed spirit week, and a promise to be a leader committed to shaping a more inclusive world. By taking the pledge, participants demonstrated they value and respect all individuals and feel everyone should be accepted and celebrated for who they are.
“The Spread the Word Campaign, Unified Sports, and our YAC have helped bring together students from all backgrounds, abilities, and representations in our school. Since we started our Unified Program five years ago, we have seen the number of students participating in the group flourish. Students are no longer identified by what they can’t do but by who they are. It has broken down barriers and brought people from across the district together to play, learn, and grow,” YAC Advisor and Unified Bowling Coach Janet Decker said.
More than 600 Black Knights signed pledge cards displayed in the high school lobby. The entire campus also dressed to impress during Unified Spirit Week, intended to spread awareness about disabilities, mental health, and LGBTQIA+ issues. Daily themes included: green for mental health awareness, blue for autism awareness, black and gold for Spread the Word: Inclusion Day, and rainbow for Pride Day.
“Choose to Include Week is so important for many reasons. The biggest one being that a week like this makes students and staff feel less alone. It helps create a community within our school to say to people ‘you are accepted, you are loved, you belong.’ I think that is a message we all need to hear more often,” Gay Straight Alliance Co-Advisor Carolyn Laurenzi-Timmerman said.
This year, the Silver Creek/Forestville Unified Basketball team was also able to spread the message of inclusion at the halftime of the University at Buffalo’s Men’s Basketball game on March 5. The exhibition game against Salamanca allowed all team members to get on the Bull’s court and show what Unified Sports is all about.
Choose to Include became an annual observance at SCCS with the addition of the district’s Unified Bowling program in 2020. Since then, the district has added its Youth Activation Committee (YAC) and Unified Sports teams for Basketball, Esports, and Bocce starting in the fall of 2024. Silver Creek is also embracing Unified athletes during the school day. New this year are Unified PE classes in both the middle and high school, allowing students who need a bit more assistance and flexibility in PE class to get to play games and build social relationships, which would otherwise not be a possibility.
“We started the Unified program in January of 2020 with a small group of students who came together to bowl. Although we faced many challenges during the pandemic, we continued to make progress as a school community. Students who typically would not know the joy of playing in front of a cheering crowd or participating in a Championship game are getting to do so through Unified Sports and are teaching social awareness at the same time.” Ms. Decker said. “In the past five years, middle and high school students in YAC have raised over $27,000 for Special Olympics NY. They participate in volunteer experiences with Special Olympics NY and here at Silver Creek, which all lead to an increase in understanding and acceptance of all individuals at our school. Our Unified Sports programs and YAC are bringing all types people together to share their interests and build friendships.”
