The Sophomore Class hosted the Special Olympics May 9 for special needs students from a number of schools in the St. Louis area.

The Special Olympics help students learn and practice doing service by learning to communicate and interact with people with special needs. It also teaches them to be grateful for the gifts they have.

“It’s more than a day off of school for us,” sophomore Brendan Kemp said. “It gives us an opportunity to learn about service and ourselves about how grateful we should be.”

The athletes walked around with their sophomore buddies and competed in events such as the long jump, softball toss, and the day ends with a relay race around the track. The athletes competed for ribbons during the events.  It also teaches them to be grateful for the gifts they have. College Counselor Dave Boland runs the event every year.

“For our guys, it’s a great opportunity to serve and learn. Its an educational experience,” Boland said. “Especially for these guys as they embark on their junior service projects.”

The sophomores met their buddies and then helped them during their events. Each athlete had their own buddy. The athletes came from Bellerive Elementary, Litzsinger School, Southview School, Neuwoehner School, Brittany Woods Middle School, Missouri School for the Blind, and Ladue Middle School.

“The whole day is special because you get to see the kids smile after every event and excited to go to the next one,” sophomore Avi Wesseh said. “Winning isn’t important at all, as long as they are having fun, they are winning.”