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.