CLARK, NJ — On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Arthur L Johnson High School’s Unified played its first game of the season against Union City. Unified Sports is a program run by Special Olympics that supports students with and without disabilities playing sports together. The goal of this program is to establish relationships between students with and without disabilities, both on and off the court. Unified Sports advisors Jenn Barbera and Emily Colonni have worked very hard this year to create a team, composed of 12 students.
Despite a loss, the ALJ Unified team played its heart out. The students had a great time and learned the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork.
“Unified Sports has been a huge part of my life since college. Being able to coach a high school program has been such a dream and I am so proud of the team! The team has worked very hard in practice these last few weeks and I am excited to see where the rest of the season brings us! A special thank you to Mr. Gus Kalikas, Mrs. Tara Oliveira, Mrs. Katrina Poskay and Dr. Heather Austin for all your support this school year,” said ALJ special education teacher and Unified co-advisor Barbera.
“I am so grateful and proud to be able to help start Unified at the high school level. Seeing students of all abilities work together and have fun, brings joy to my heart. I am so excited for all the hard work and efforts so far. I would like to thank the ALJ administration for their continued support. I look forward to continuing to grow the program,” said ALJ case manager and Unified co-advisor Colonni.
Photos Courtesy of Gus Kalikas