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Mustangs all-in for team unity
Medford High School has a new sport this fall. And it’s generating tons of excitement from faculty and student-athletes alike.
The high school has added a Unified Sports basketball program, and it plans to add track & field to the mix in the spring. It also hopes to offer middle school basketball in March.
Unified Sports is in association with the Special Olympics Massachusetts. Unified Sports brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete on the same team.
According to the Special Olympics, participants improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills and learn acceptance and inclusion, while participating in Unified Sports. A primary goal of Unified Sports is to equalize the ability level of Special Olympics athletes with their partners, and to promote inclusion through team practice and competition.
Carla Andre, an adapted physical education teacher at Medford High School, serves as the team’s coach. The Medford Transcript and Wicked Local Medford caught up with Andre this week with questions about the program that she answered succinctly in the ensuing text.
What is the local number of participants?
There are a total of 16 Medford High School students who participate on the Unified Basketball team this season. We play other Unified Teams in our area that include North Reading, Stoneham, Malden and Melrose. We hope other teams in the Greater Boston League will join in the next few years.
What is their age range?
The current high school team consists of freshmen through post-grads (ages 14-21).
Unified Sports is for students of all abilities. Disabilities can range anywhere from physical to intellectual. Unified Sports in Medford sets inclusion as a priority in making sure that everyone has the opportunity to play, the opportunity to be cheered for and the opportunity to be celebrated.
What kinds of programs are the athletes enrolled in at the high school, or elsewhere?
The students who participate come from a vast array of academic backgrounds and athletic abilities. Unified Sports is also open to Medford students who are currently in and out-of-district placement. Currently, our players all attend Medford High School. Some of our players are on the varsity basketball team, and some join our team with entry-level basketball skills.
What does the in-season schedule look like?
Unified Basketball is five games in the fall from early October to mid-November. This year, we have three home games and two away games. All games start at 3:30 p.m. Our final home game at Medford High School is on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
What is the goal for you as a coach?
The goal is not only for students of all abilities to be able to participate in athletics, but also to strengthen our community through disability awareness and acceptance.
Who else is involved in putting this program together?
This program is in collaboration with Special Olympics of Massachusetts and the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association), but this could not be possible without the efforts of Medford High School Athletic Director Bobby Maloney, Assistant Athletic Director Rachel Perry and Medford Director of Pupil Services Joan Bowen. I’m also joined by two fabulous assistant coaches, and they are Michael McLaughlin and boys’ varsity coach John Skerry.
What are the practices and games like?
We practice once a week, where we work on basic skills and basketball knowledge. We play one game a week for five weeks. The games are full of energy and excitement. We’ve had bleachers full of students, faculty and local politicians. We also have had our cheerleading squad cheering on the athletes.
What keeps you involved as a coach, and what are the satisfying moments for you?
My favorite aspect of coaching Unified Sports has been witnessing the organic friendships that have developed between students, regardless of disability.
What is your background, and what is adaptive physical education?
I graduated from Medford High School in 2007 as a three-sport athlete, and went on to play basketball at Emmanuel College (2011).
I learned about Adapted Physical Education during summer break from college, when I began working at UMass-Boston’s Camp Shriver, which is an inclusive sports camp for students both with and without disabilities.
Before becoming an Adapted Physical Education teacher, I earned a Master’s in severe disabilities at Bay Path College, and taught for five years as a classroom teacher in a Life Skills Program at Medford High School.
Adapted Physical Education (A.P.E.) is a modified Physical Education curriculum for students with disabilities. A.P.E. ensures that students can participate safely and successfully in a physical education class. Skills developed with A.P.E. bridges the gap between students with disabilities and their peers, and it increases the likelihood that they will be able to successfully participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics and recreational programs.
Adapted Physical Education also sets the tone for fostering healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle many years after graduation.
What can we expect next, schedule-wise?
Medford High School Unified Basketball has two more games left this season on Oct. 28 at Stoneham, and Nov. 3 at Medford High School. Both games will once again begin at 3:30 p.m.
How is the season going in terms of results? What are the kids working hard on to improve on the court?
The games have been very close. We’ve lost by a point or two in our last three games. The results really don’t matter. What matters is that students are coming together in an inclusive and supportive environment, and getting to feel the excitement and joy of participating on a team with their friends.
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