Lake Forest Central E.S. teaches inclusivity, acceptance in Spread The Word event

FELTON, Del. – The Special Olympics of Delaware (SODE), educators, and students were on a mission to teach a valuable lesson about inclusivity on Wednesday.

Spread The Word

It was all part of SODE’s annual Spread The Word event. “Originally, it was hard on pushing people to stop using the ‘R’ word. But, for a lot of programs like these younger ones with the kids, it became spread the word to learn the word. So, we’ve kind of gone towards more pushing for inclusion,” said Manager of SODE Champion Unified Schools, Nate Threatts.

The campaign began as an effort to get people to stop using bigoted language towards disabled people. Over time, it has flourished into an effort to help young people see that everyone is a valuable part of their community, no matter their ability. “We have to give them all the same opportunities and let anyone be accountable for whatever they want to be in this world,” said Threatts.

Playing Together, Learning Together

Wednesday, Lake Forest Central Elementary School students of all abilities were able to gather together for a day of fun, learning, and acceptance. “This is a mix of lots of different classes and lots of different grade levels. So, it allows them to kind of chat with people that they don’t normally see in the classroom, and create bonds and friendships that they don’t get to have just being inside the classroom all day,” said fourth grade teacher Ashley Hom.

The activities were centered around getting the kids active, and working together. “Sports is an international language. No matter what language you actually speak, everybody can come out here and play with a ball, and learn how to have fun and cherish each other,” said Threatts. “It feels really good, especially with how much COVID-19 has had us down, to be able to come out here and see all the smiles and laughs.”

Lake Forest Central Elementary School is not the only one that took part in Wednesday’s event. They joined more than 150 other schools across the First State. And, SODE says it wasn’t just about teaching the youngest Delawareans about inclusivity; The University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College also joined in.

A Lasting Lesson

Hom says her student started learning the important lesson of acceptance earlier in the week. Her class watched a TED Talk from a young boy with Down Syndrome, which Hom says planted the seeds for inclusivity to grow. “It opened up a conversation where the kids that didn’t know anything about Down syndrome got to learn about it,” she said. “It also made my students that are on the spectrum with autism feel more excited, because they got to speak about their own selves and kind of teach about what they’re going through every day.”

It’s those conversations that Hom says she hopes to keep going, moving forward. “The goal is to make sure that we instill acceptance and understanding for all of our students, no matter where they are academically. We like to make sure that we emphasize that inclusion and that acceptance in our community,” she said. “We should love and cherish everybody, for wherever they are and whatever they do in life.”