The sun shines, cheers rise in the crowd, as athletes and their buddies wait on the line for the red flag to fly. The whistle blows; they run as fast as they can, enjoying the only cool breeze. AGHS hosted its annual Unified Track Meet on March 16 and brought together five high schools in the area.
Special Education Teacher Phillip Reid, who spearheaded the event, invited schools in south San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County to participate in the meet.
“There’s five schools, including us, and approximately 40 to 50 participants, plus double that in buddies,” Reid said.
Many students and teachers packed the bleachers to cheer for the participants, packing the stands, including AGHS Math Teacher Anna Montero, who brought her second period out to watch.
“[Having my students come out and watch and cheer] builds more of a sense of community and maybe gets them out of their comfort zone and see people they maybe don’t interact with every single day,” Montero said.
AGHS Math Teacher Catherine Zipse also brought her class to the event, emphasizing the importance of bringing special education and standard education students together to celebrate their accomplishments.
“[The event brings] everyone together…it brings an awareness for the other kids that are on campus that are learning and participating in the school day too,” Zipse said.
AGHS Principal Brad Grumbles had a special opportunity to cheer on students whom he has known since elementary school.
“I’ve known many of these students since Ocean View [Elementary],” Principal Brad Grumbles said. “I’ve known Caleb, Nala, Jasmine, Cooper, and Jill.”
Pioneer Valley High School Special Education Teacher Tara Sanchez enjoyed that everyone can come together to participate, not just a particular group of students.
“I think one of the biggest takeaways is being able to experience a fun event that everyone can have fun with and do together and be excited for each other and cheer each other on,” Sanchez said. “I think there’s, during the school day, not as many opportunities for interaction, and for people of all abilities [to] just get to come together and have fun is key.”
AGHS ASB Student Joss Robertson (27) created a special bond with a student through participation in the Unified events.
“[Sophia and I have] created a bond over the basketball program that we offer,” Robertson said. “I’m really grateful that our district likes to put on [events] like this. I think it’s good to include others all the time.”
AGHS ASB President Charlie Colgan (’26), who helped organize the event, also created meaningful friendships with the students who participated.
“I have a personal connection with a lot of them– I’ve learned so much from them,” Colgan said.
AGHS ASB Treasurer Gavin Fitzpatrick (’26), who helped signal at the starting line, enjoyed assisting and allowing the athletes to race.
“I think it’s a great feeling because you get to see them feel the joy of being part of a team event, because a lot of these athletes aren’t able to go out and do the everyday sports around our area, so it’s nice to give them an outlet for that,” Fitzpatrick said.
AGHS Athletic Trainer Matt Quijano and School Nurse Cameron Epley stood by during the event to ensure students were safe due to the heat.
“[Athletic Trainer, Matt Quijano, and I are assessing] student safety,” said Epley. “[We are] making sure [students] stay hydrated, looking for any signs or symptoms of heat illness or heat exhaustion, and checking the weather.”
“If we reach a certain temperature, we notice [the safety hazard],” Epley said. “Before we reach that temperature, we’ll go into the gym.”
However, the event had wrapped up before the heat became too severe to continue the races.
“Luckily [for the event], we didn’t have to cancel,” Reid said. “We just had to pivot.” For Reid, the event was a cheerful opportunity to support our school community.
“My favorite part is seeing the smiles on the faces of everyone participating, so the athletes, the buddies, the staff, everyone,” Reid said.
