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Seeing busses pulling up in front of a school isn’t unusual, not even at 9:30 in the morning in the middle of the week.

But to see groups of students wearing the same white T-shirt with colorful lettering, milling about and chatting excitedly, and seeming as if they can’t wait to see who is going to get off of the bus is a bit unusual.

That is, of course, if you didn’t know that the reason the students were waiting anxiously was because they were about to meet new friends.

At Hazelwood Central High School, hundreds of students volunteered their time at the Special Olympics Swim Meet, an annual competition held at the school for the past 12 years. Each spring, young athletes from schools across the area that are served by the Special School District of St. Louis County participate in a swim competition that also serves as a qualifying event for state and national Special Olympics games.

On a sunny, breezy morning in April, groups of students from Hazelwood Central High gathered outside of the gym, waiting to greet the athletes and get matched as a buddy. As a buddy, the student is responsible for escorting an athlete and making sure he or she feels welcome and has a good time.

A voice hollered over the chatter and noise of idling bus engines to call out the name of the school arriving at the meet. There were 112 athletes from six schools scheduled to participate, so it took a while to match the pairs together.

Inside the gymnasium, dubbed the Olympic Village, many more student volunteers filled the room with laughter, fun and excitement. The village was like a big hangout spot between meets. There were tables to decorate cookies and T-shirts, games with candy prizes, balloon hats, a cupcake walk, a mini soccer game, a basketball shootout, a picture booth, popcorn, sno-cones, and a DJ playing the latest tracks.

After all of the athletes arrived, buddies, parents, teachers and staff filled the bleachers. Everyone stood for the national anthem, cheered as it ended and applauded a young man as he stood at the podium to give words of thanks and appreciation to Hazelwood Central High School for hosting the meet. Moments later, Kyle Harris and Luke Sicking ran a path through the gym to light the Olympic flame to officially start the swim competitions.

Harris, a senior at Hazelwood Central High, and Sicking, a student at SSD Central PREP, met for the first time that morning. Sicking carried the torch and Harris helped him reach up to light the flame.

At the pool, the bleachers were packed with spectators cheering on their favorite swimmers as they made their way through the water, splashing and kicking to the finish. Waiting at the end were ribbons and medals, smiles and hugs.

Sicking competed in the 135 assisted swim and earned a second place finish. Harris has been a volunteer at the meet since his freshman year at the school.

Event coordinators Sue Harmon, physical education department chair, and Michael Dorsey, math teacher, agreed that the day went well. Both looked a little spent, but it was to be expected. Each has been involved with the meet since its beginnings at Hazelwood Central High. The event got its start at the school 12 years ago when Jackie Rahm, Special Olympics coordinator of SSD was look for a place to hold a meet.

(story Courtesy of Hazelwood Communications)

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