Lewis Cass celebrated for disability inclusiveness at Unified Together convocation

Pharos-Tribune - 2/25/2023

Feb. 25—Lewis Cass High School students assembled for a convocation Thursday afternoon, Feb. 23, to celebrate their efforts as an inclusive school when it comes to students with disabilities.

Lewis Cass is part of the Champions Together program, which was brought to life in 2012 by the Special Olympics of Indiana and the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA).

The convocation was led by Craig Torquist, director of Champions Together, who brought a mix of comedy, testimonials and an impromptu dance party to both celebrate Lewis Cass and teach students about inclusion.

Champions Together includes opportunities for students to compete together in unified teams.

The IHSAA website describes unified teams as being "composed equally of students with and without intellectual disabilities."

There are four unified sport state championships in Indiana. They include track, flag football, bocce and bowling.

In all, over 70 Lewis Cass students participate in the program, said sponsor and teacher Denise Rush.

Since Lewis Cass is smaller than other participants they don't have unified teams but instead hold sports related clinics for the students.

Ethan Johnson and Liberty Scott are seniors who have been involved in the program during their four years of high school.

Scott competes in track and field and cross country. Johnson plays baseball and tennis.

Scott said she had the opportunity to lead a track clinic for the students.

"It's great to see the kids be able to participate in traditional IHSAA sports and do things they love," she said, adding it meant a lot to her to share her something she competes in and cares about a lot with the students.

Scott said the track and field clinic included a 100-meter dash, a relay, the long jump and a softball throw in place of the shotput.

"They got medals at the end of it and it was great to see them included," she said.

During the event, Johnson and Scott took the stage with some of their fellow Champions Together participants. They shared what they enjoyed best about the program.

This is the fifth straight year that Lewis Cass has earned a Unified Champions banner. Torquist said that it was a feat very few schools had accomplished because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the program came to an end, Torquist gave students a special look at the movie trailer for the documentary, "The Best We've Got: The Carl Erskine Story." Erskine is a 96-year-old Anderson native who played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was one of Jackie Robinson's biggest allies.

Erskine and his wife would later have a son with Down syndrome. At the time, the trailer said, it was common for parents to sign over children with Down syndrome to the state for care. The Erskine's chose to raise their son and Carl became active in the Special Olympics.

Erskine said when it came to raising his son, he was inspired by what Robinson endured to break the color barrier in baseball.

The trailer included comments from sports commentator Bob Costas and the late Indiana Pacers' coach Bobby "Slick" Leonard. Torquist said Lewis Cass teachers would have access to the film as well as education packets for discussions with students.

Johnson said seeing students be kind to each other and bring smiles to their faces was important.

"You don't know how they are feeling that day and they may feel invisible," he said. "It's an opportunity to get to know one another and make them feel valued. All of us want to be valued."

Johnson and Scott both agreed that it was very rewarding to join Champions together and be a part of something bigger than themselves.

"(Including people with disabilities) is often overlooked, I think," Johnson said.

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