During the week of April 28 to May 2, AGHS’s special education department and Hangout Club hosted Inclusion Week. Despite AGHS being an overall inclusive campus with a diverse population of students, the week was dedicated to students connecting with others in activities and conversations.
Monday morning, during advisory students across campus watched the video bulletin, in which a segment of the video was focused on Inclusion Week, featuring students from AGHS’ special education classes, detailing the events to be held later in the week, and sharing the overarching goal of the week: to recognize students of all abilities and to promote patience, understanding, and advocacy.
Every day at the beginning of third period an “Inclusion Week fact” was shared during the daily bulletin to raise awareness for those with disabilities. Providing students on campus with statistics and facts detailing disabilities encourages those who aren’t familiar with different impairments to learn more about them and help those who need it.
A few of the facts shared throughout the week included: “Approximately 26 million adults in the U.S. report having a disability that affects their mobility. Simple changes, like ensuring wheelchair accessibility, can make a big difference!”
As well as: “More than 1 million people in the U.S. are visually impaired. The use of braille and audio resources can help enhance their daily experiences and independence.”
During lunchtime on Thursday, May 1, students participated in various activities on the 900’s turf with the goal in mind that it would create a bond between students and their peers. Some games included jumbo chess and cornhole, among others, as well as a cookie decorating table with different flavors of cookies, frostings, and sprinkles. Students from across campus attended the event and interacted with each other.
“I love [Inclusion Week]. I’m so glad we started it. It’s really just something amazing that came from one idea and stemmed into something huge,” Hangout Club president Banyan Wentzel said (‘25).
On Friday, May 2, Unified Sports athletes, para-professionals, student volunteers, and Resource Specialist Phillip Reid boarded two buses to attend the 805 Games hosted at Cuesta College (CC). This is the first year this event has been hosted with the name “805 Games.” It was previously known as the “Special Olympics,” but the name changed as the previous organizers stepped down.
Upon arrival, AGHS participants were welcomed by a round of applause with CC cheerleaders supporting the athletes, CC athletes giving high-fives and fist-bumps to students entering the gym, and the San Luis Obispo police department attending the event to support participants.
Before the events began, every participant gathered in the CC gym to congratulate certain athletes receiving awards. Christen Olsen (‘25), received one of few awards given out– the “Captains Heart” award.
Dr. Jill Stearns, superintendent of CC, took the time to stand up in front of all of the event participants and welcome them onto her campus. Former CC track and field coach, Jani Johnson, helped the athletes warm up by leading them in simple stretches such as twists and wiggles, accompanied by upbeat music.
Once the announcements and warm-ups were finished, competitors were free to make their way to the track and field where events were being held. AGHS took approximately 35 athletes to the 805 Games and they all competed in the events that worked best for them. From softball throw to the manual wheelchair 25 M, there was an event for everyone no matter their level of ability.
The 805 games brought people from all over the county with diverse disabilities of different ages together to compete in sporting events.“Joey loves sports, he likes to go to any sporting event he can get to… this community is really open to him,” Gianni Scangarello, parent of one of the participating athletes, said.
