Physical education students volunteer, host field day for 109 mentally disabled children
Hart junior Jena Schaner volunteered to work at the event, which brought in 109 students from Gratiot and Isabella counties.
The students rotated between 12 activities: an obstacle course, scooter hockey, parachute, bowling, kickball, dance, hoppity hop/bunny, veggie station, think your drink, desert alternative, plan a meal and fruit and veggie mystery.
The event took place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Throughout the course of the day students would visit each station once, Schaner said.
“I think it’s a great way to show a student with a mental disability that they don’t have to be treated differently,” she said.
Jennifer Thorn, assistant professor of physical education, also helped organized the event.
Student volunteers were crucial to the process and learned key skills through the experience, she said.
“It’s important that when students graduate that they should be able to organize and plan, with the help of administrators, an end of the year field day for the entire school,” Thorn said.
Thorn contacted the regional education district of Gratiot and Isabella counties to find children with special needs to coordinate so the students could attend CMU’s special education field day.
The event was planned to take place inside and outside, but because rain everything was moved inside, Schaner said.
The theme of the event was sports, so coordinators contacted the Detroit Lions, Red Wings and Pistons, she said.
The Pistons donated a T-shirt for each participant, and a signed picture of Lions running back Jahvid Best was submitted for a silent auction held during the event. Proceeds will be toward next year’s event.
