When Carlee Lash started her senior year at West Allegheny High School this fall, the thought of entering a career in special education never crossed her mind.
That’s until she got involved with the school’s new Unified Partners in Sports program, where students build relationships with their peers in life skills courses and compete in athletics together as teammates.
“Getting to build relationships with them and interacting with us, it touched a place in my heart that I wanted to pursue further,” said Lash, who will attend the University of Pittsburgh and major in special education and elementary education. “Getting to see everyone happy, their pure joy, it’s special to be a part of it and forming friendships with them. They’re such sweet kids.”
About 90 students from West Allegheny, South Fayette, Moon Area, Montour, Cornell, Peters Township, Mt. Lebanon and Quaker Valley participated in a unified track meet Tuesday morning at West Allegheny.
The event was the third installment of West Allegheny’s Partners in Sports program, an initiative new this year. The school held a soccer tournament in the fall and a basketball tournament in the winter.
“I think it’s a fantastic thing to do, getting these different schools together and doing different events, and teaching kids about cooperation and teamwork,” said Brittany Fabyanic, a paraprofessional at Quaker Valley.
The program has built stronger relationships among students at West Allegheny, said Lynn Utchell, assistant to the superintendent for special education and student services. The West Allegheny School District serves Findlay, North Fayette and Oakdale.
“It gives the opportunity for students who otherwise would not be able to participate in track and engage in sporting events,” she said. “It also allows students the ability to see if it’s something they want to do for the rest of their life.”
One such student is Isaac Mullaney, a West Allegheny junior, who is considering a career in education thanks to the experience.
“Before the beginning of the year, I was stiff and I couldn’t communicate with them,” Mullaney said. “It helps work it out, I’ve learned to communicate.”
Mullaney runs long distance events on West Allegheny’s track team. His partner, senior Gabby Peluso, ran sprinting events at the meet.
Peluso said of Mullaney: “He’s my best friend.”
Although Nick Bennett, a Cornell senior, doesn’t plan a career in education — he plans to attend CCAC for business management — the experience has taught him patience and the importance of teamwork.
“I like seeing people who don’t normally get to do sports get to try it out,” Bennett said. “We have people who like to play basketball, some like to do cardio and run around.”
Participant Allie Campbell, a South Fayette freshman, gave the event high marks.
“It’s fun to see everyone have a good time,” she said, “and also winning — which is an important thing.”