
Big
games
bring
schools
together.
The
sights,
the
sounds,
the
fans,
the
players,
the
cheerleaders,
and
the
coaches
each
add
elements
that
make
such
events
memorable.
At
Stonewall
Jackson
High
School,
you
can
also
count
the
cosmetology
students
in
among
those
who
played
a
key
role
in
making
the
unified
sports
basketball
season
one
to
remember.
"With
unified
this
year,
we
worked
with
the
cheerleaders
to
get
their
hair
done
prior
to
the
games,"
explained
Cosmetology
Teacher
Elizabeth
Payne.
"We
would
have
groups
of
cosmetology
students
style
the
cheerleaders
hair
and
then
place
their
cheer
bows
for
them.
We
also
had
one
of
our
students
work
with
the
cheerleaders
during
the
games
and
four
additional
students
who
worked
with
the
basketball
team
during
the
games."
Stonewall
Jackson
High
is
thoroughly
embracing
the
unified
sports
mission
of
inclusion.
"Our
cosmetology
students
work
very
closely
with
our
special
education
department
every
year,"
said
Payne.
The
students
enjoyed
doing
spa
days
together
and
getting
ready
for
the
unified
basketball
games
with
the
cheerleaders
who
in
turn
benefited
from
a
space
to
practice
life
skills
such
as
folding
towels
and
maintaining
the
cosmetology
stations.
Unified
sports
provide
experiences
where
stereotypes
about
people
with
intellectual
disabilities
are
broken
down
and
everyone
involved
learns
and
grows.