Wheelchair Athletes Inspire Kids, Offer Anti-Bullying Message
ctober is Bullying Prevention Month, a great time to help your school get the message out to students that differences should be embraced, not ridiculed.
Octo
ober
ober is Bullying Prevention Month, a great time to help your school get the message out to students that differences should be embraced, not ridiculed.
The PTA leaders at Whitman Middle School in Wauwatosa, Wis. found
a great way to do just that.
The group had evaluated anti-bullying programs earlier this year, but they wanted something that would click with their student body of teens and tweens—something that would really make the point that differences should be embraced.
“We think anti-bullying is key, but we didn’t want someone to just talk to the kids,” says PTA president Andrea Gaines.
They found what they were looking for in Cornerstones for Success, an innovative program run by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
With Cornerstones, members of the university’s wheelchair athletics program visit schools to help promote an understanding of disabilities. The group came to Whitman and hosted a basketball game in which their athletes played against Whitman students and teachers who also used wheelchairs while on the basketball court.
“The kids were so happy to see that the [wheelchair athletes] are just like any other 19- or 20-year-old,” Gaines says. “We wanted an event where the kids could be involved and see that just because someone has challenges, it doesn’t mean they can’t do most things.”
The event cost $600 for the day and was easy to put together. For instance, the Cornerstones group provided the wheelchairs for Whitman students and teachers.
“We had so many kids telling us thank-you,” Gaines adds. “It was so much more powerful than a speaker.”
The PTA leaders at Whitman Middle School in Wauwatosa, Wis. found
a great way to do just that.The group had evaluated anti-bullying programs earlier this year, but they wanted something that would click with their student body of teens and tweens—something that would really make the point that differences should be embraced.
“We think anti-bullying is key, but we didn’t want someone to just talk to the kids,” says PTA president Andrea Gaines.
They found what they were looking for in Cornerstones for Success, an innovative program run by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
With Cornerstones, members of the university’s wheelchair athletics program visit schools to help promote an understanding of disabilities. The group came to Whitman and hosted a basketball game in which their athletes played against Whitman students and teachers who also used wheelchairs while on the basketball court.
“The kids were so happy to see that the [wheelchair athletes] are just like any other 19- or 20-year-old,” Gaines says. “We wanted an event where the kids could be involved and see that just because someone has challenges, it doesn’t mean they can’t do most things.”
The event cost $600 for the day and was easy to put together. For instance, the Cornerstones group provided the wheelchairs for Whitman students and teachers.
“We had so many kids telling us thank-you,” Gaines adds. “It was so much more powerful than a speaker.”
