On Friday, February 7th, the Department of Education made a “first” for Special Education Needs (SEN) students when it hosted its inaugural SEN sports day at the Webster Park.
Three teams, namely Unity, Strength and Endurance, fiercely contested against each other. They were represented by the colours blue, white and orange, respectively, thereby displaying the colours of the Anguilla national flag.
Opening the sports meet, Education Officer for Multi-Professional Support Services, Mrs. Tracelyn Hamilton, addressed the eager spectators: “Thank you for valuing our Special Education Needs family, in coming to share with us our first organized sports day. We are delighted to have you all here to witness this extremely special day in sports. It is the first,” she observed, “and we intend to make it an annual event.”
Chief Education Officer, Mr. Bren Romney, echoed the views of Mrs. Hamilton when he commented: “I do agree with Teacher Tracelyn when she remarked that this should be an annual event. We should take every opportunity to celebrate all of our students. It is encouraging to see you who have come out in large numbers today — to show that level of support and appreciation for our SEN students.”
Director of Sports, Mr. Andre Collins, remarked: “It is a beautiful day here at the Webster Park, and we thank all of you for coming out to spend this special day with us as we witness the sporting efforts of Team Unity, Team Strength and Team Endurance. We recognize the teachers who have prepared the participating students, and we applaud the officials who have done the setups for the various activities that you will witness. So, cheer on the teams,” he shouted, “and let’s all have fun!”
After a thrilling icebreaker directed by renowned school-sports Commentator, Frank Claxton, the teams were off to an exciting start. Bolstered by the cheerful shouts of the excited spectators, teams Unity, Strength and Endurance battled hard to defeat each other at various games such as mini flag rugby; ball pass relay; fill-the-bucket relay; egg ‘n spoon; beanbag toss; potato race; and tug-of-war. The teams also competed in 60 meter, 80 meter and 100 meter races.
By the end of the day, Team Strength emerged strong as the absolute winner with 96 points. In second place was Team Endurance with 90 points, followed by Team Unity in third place, with 78 points.
Education Officer, Tracelyn Hamilton, and the Department of Education, congratulated Team Strength, and the other teams, and thanked the teachers, parents and all spectators for their enthusiasm and participation. She also heartily thanked the sponsors, namely: Hi-Tek Designs which sponsored Team Strength, MAICO Insurance which sponsored Team Endurance, and National Commercial Bank of Anguilla which sponsored the Team Unity. Appreciation was also extended to Comfort Engineering who sponsored the Officials’ t-shirts and the shield.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
