Crossroads Students Bring Home the Gold at Special Olympics

From Crossroads Schools:

Last month, students with Autism from Crossroads School laced up their sneakers and headed to Natick High School to compete in the Natick Special Olympics School Games. Students left with medals, a sense of pride, and new friendships.

One of the many special relationships formed this year included the obvious bond between Crossroads Student, Matthew Kelley, and Jake Ashman, a fourth grade student at Bennet Hemenway School. Amanda Sheehy, M.Ed, Crossroads’ Adapted Physical Education Teacher, stated, “From the moment that our entire group arrived at Bennet Hemenway School, we were greeted by Jake. Jake came running over and met us on our walk over to the field. He had a huge smile on his face, was waving, and screaming, ‘Hey Crossroads, over here!!!’ He, along with many other students from Ben Hem, were very excited that we were there, and were so happy to meet their partners.”

The Unified Partners initiative gives Crossroads Students the opportunity to make friends with students from public schools. The Partners practice and compete together, providing mutual support for one another. After coordinating practice times with various elementary, middle, and high schools, Crossroads Students were paired with Unified Partners according to grade. The students practiced together once a week for 5 weeks to train for the Games.

“Originally, Jake was paired with another student. However, after just introducing the two, Jake quickly asked if he could be Matthew’s Partner. I told him that that was no problem, and before I could turn around after writing it down, the two of them were off dancing and laughing on the side. I’ve never seen Matthew so motivated to engage socially with his peers. It was a great experience for him,” Sheehy reported.

“It’s very obvious that the Natick Public Schools do a tremendous job with inclusion. Each and every student who was paired with our students was so excited to be there, and genuinely enjoyed their interactions with our students. It was clear that it was a mutually beneficial relationship between each set of Partners. I was blown away by how kind, understanding, and excited each of the Partners were. The relationship between Matthew and Jake, however, stuck out.”

Matthew’s parents, Melissa and Dennis Kelley, could not be more thrilled with the new friendship. “This year, the Special Olympics had Matthew excited. He had a new buddy. He talked about his new friend, Jake, and how they were doing relays together and hanging out.”

Kelley continued, “On the day of the Games, we finally got the opportunity to meet Jake - and Matthew wasn't kidding when he said he had a new bud. This kid is a gem. He took Matthew under his wing, showing him new things and introducing him to his friends, who were also being partnered-up in the Special Olympics. What a fantastic concept. It is so important for kids like Matthew to see into a kid like Jake’s world, and vice versa.”

“We met Jake’s dad, Mike, and his Nana, who were both the most wonderfully accepting people. They spoke about how Jake couldn't stop talking about Matthew and how great he was. It put tears in my eyes,” Kelley shared.

On the day of the Special Olympics, Matthew and Jake competed in several events together. They cheered each other on during the Relay Race, and ran together during the 100m Dash. At the Long Jump, Jake grabbed Matthew’s hand and they made the leap side by side. On the sidelines, the boys could be seen running around together, break dancing, and showing off both their muscles and their medals.

When asked about his friendship with Jake, Matthew said, “I liked hanging out with him and liked to sing with him. We both got gold medals. I also liked to run with him at the Special Olympics.”

Since the Special Olympics, Matthew and Jake have enjoyed more time hanging out; playing putt-putt golf, going swimming, and singing and dancing together. The Kelleys said, “The wonderful part for us was Matthew was a regular kid. He was appropriate, never got upset, and actually just went with the flow. It was the most successful socialization experience for Matthew, and I couldn't have been more proud.”

“In life for these kids with special needs, it is heartbreaking when they don’t’ have friends - mostly due to social and behavioral deficits. Jake is an exceptional kid, and brought the best out of Matthew. Matthew’s social skills really shine around Jake. We hope they have a lasting friendship, and Jake can be a boy Matthew looks up to as he continues to work on his social skills,” Kelley said.

Of Matthew’s experience at Crossroads School, the Kelleys recalled, “We looked at several schools, but didn't feel any of them accommodated Matthew’s needs. There were other schools that didn’t even consider us because Matthew was so ‘high functioning,’ he just wouldn't fit into their program. When we walked into Crossroads for the first time, there was an overwhelming calm that came over both Dennis and myself. This was the place.”

“Matthew has come a long way with much more to go, and we know we are in the right place for him. He has an unbelievable potential to become something wonderful. He loves taking things apart and figuring out how to put them back together- maybe he’ll be a mechanic, or an electrician, or even an electrical engineer. We are so grateful to Crossroads for allowing us to believe in these possibilities, and for providing Matthew the skills and opportunity to make a new friend.”

Photos courtesy of Crossroads Schools