Carl J. Lamb held its first-ever Special Olympics event on Monday, June 3rd, bringing smiles and athletic achievement to students with disabilities. The event was the culmination of months of planning by teachers and staff.

Carl J. Lamb held its first-ever Special Olympics event on Monday, June 3rd, bringing smiles and athletic achievement to students with disabilities. The event was the culmination of months of planning by teachers and staff.

Special Education Director Kathryn McCall and PE Teacher Tatyana Wolterbeek helped organize the event. They decided to start by hosting their own competition at Carl J. Lamb to get everyone excited about the possibility of attending the city-wide Special Olympics in the future.

McCall and Wolterbreek teamed up with fellow teachers Dave Eldridge and Gabby Lieske to plan the athletic events, opening/closing ceremonies, parade of athletes, and commemorative t-shirts and medals. The competitions included long jump, 50-yard dash, 100-yard dash, and softball throw.

Organizing an event of this scale was an all-hands-on-deck effort that involved reaching out to teachers, educational technicians, administrators, PTA members, school committee members, and more.

"The collaborative efforts of so many staff and community members really made this day special for our student-athletes," McCall said. "Seeing their smiles as they competed and received medals was incredibly rewarding."

The successful inaugural CJL Special Olympics lays the groundwork for future participation in city-wide and regional events celebrating the athletic abilities of students with disabilities.