A Special Day at WHB

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Last Sunday,  March 8th, marked the date of WHB’s annual Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. Currently coordinated by junior Catherine Penn, the Special Olympics is always an anticipated event here in the Westhampton Beach community. The event pulled close to 300 people from all over Long Island, and was held in the high school gym/cafe from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For those who don’t know, the Special Olympics at WHB is a basketball tournament for children and teenagers with special needs. To put the event in motion, coordinator Catherine Penn first contacted the New York Special Olympics board to inform all of the teams for the upcoming event. “It’s a lot of work,” Penn laughs. “We’ve been planning since September and have raised about $700 now.” On the amount of work put into this event, Student Government advisor Mrs. Taylor says, “Finding a date is probably the most difficult part. We facilitate, but the Special Olympics runs it. We provide a location and support.”

Catherine Penn has been on the Special Olympics board since freshman year and has quickly worked her way up the ropes with dedication and determination: “I helped with it [Special Olympics] in 9th grade and trained to be a coordinator last year, and now I’m coordinator this year.” Being the student coordinator for such an event is quite a big responsibility, and according to Taylor, “It’s all Catherine. She has been great.”

For the past 4 years especially, the Special Olympics at WHB has been an especially exciting event. “Close to 300 people plan to attend this year,” Penn states excitedly, “which is a much larger crowd than last year.” The expectation was certainly met, as family members and volunteers stepped up and came out for encouragement and support. On who will be attending, Taylor exclaims, “We have about 110 student volunteers for community service hours. Athletes from all over Long Island and coaches and families will be attending, including students from different clubs in our school.” The event draws quite a diverse crowd.

Besides being a day of fun and excitement, the Special Olympics is also a day of giving: whether it be time, love, or support. “The greatest things is that it’s their day. And they take so much pride in it.” Taylor comments enthusiastically, “It’s just very rewarding to see the satisfaction and excitement on the athlete’s faces. For me, it’s also rewarding to meet student volunteers that I normally wouldn’t know on a day-to-day basis.” Catherine Penn agrees: “It’s just a great day. It’s the kind of thing that you can’t wait for next year to attend,” Penn states enthusiastically.

Congratulations to all who attended and participated, and thank you to all who came out to volunteer!

 

A special thanks to…

Michaelangelo’s, Beverage Barn, Rubio Premier Motors, Sea Level Construction, Vickers, JP Spano and Co, Sheren’s, Unique Boutique, Lynne’s, East Quogue Pub, Tonino’s, and our lovely PTO contributions to making the day such a success.

And most importantly, a sincere thank you to Catherine Penn who made this event possible.

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