BISD hosts 23rd Annual Buddy Fun Meet
Oct. 27—Special education students and their non-disabled buddies from 11 Brownsville Independent School District elementary schools teamed up Wednesday to participate in BISD's 23rd Annual Buddy Fun Meet at Sams Memorial Stadium.
The Parade of Athletes included students representing Benavides, Burns, Egly, Garden Park, Hudson, Keller, Martin, Ortiz, Paredes, Perez and Russell elementary schools.
"This event is to encourage our students to recognize and appreciate each others' unique qualities. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the Counselor's Corner to promote and encourage positive social emotional learning," organizers announced at the event's start.
The goal is to "provide an opportunity for children with disabilities to interact with their non-disabled peers in a fun and educational event to promote understanding and acceptance of each other's differences," the event's program states.
Special needs students choose a friend to participate with them in the meet, which lasts all morning.
"Hopefully they stay friends, and they do, because now in high school they're more open with each other, building friendships going to the mall," BISD assistant athletic director Sandra Powers, who started the event 23 years ago, said.
"The Counselor's Corner is the best station we have out there," Powers added. "It defines the role of what the buddy is supposed to be, to help the special needs students fit in, be accepted, be loved by their peers."
Other events included the bean bag throw, balance beam, bubble machine, T-ball, bowling, basketball, and dancing with Buster the Bus, which transportation helps us with that, then tennis ball throw, then the races and the last one is soccer, said Sammy Poy, Special Olympics and adaptive physical education coach.
Meanwhile, BISD is the first district in the state to implement a High School Unified Interscholastic Basketball Season.
The Inaugural Ceremony is Nov. 9 at the Hanna Early College High School, with all six BISD high schools fielding teams of three special needs athletes and two non-disabled players
"They're going to play seven-minute quarter games. It's all UIL sanctioned, all the same rules, coaching credentials and no pass no play. They're they're going to advance areas, regionals and state" Powers said.
Special Services Director Adriana Lippa said the dawn of Unified Interscholastic Basketball shows progress.
"It really shows BISD has come full circle," she said. "We've incorporated our parents to bring their children who are disabled. We want to make sure you're networking with other parents. We have our Buddy Fun Meet and now we're going to have unified sports," she said.
Meanwhile, the area meet for Special Olympics Bowling is coming up Nov. 16 at Brownsville's Galaxy Bowling Center, Poy said.
