Charlo hosts rally ahead of summer games
CHARLO SPECIAL Olympics athlete Tayleigh Garcia focuses on playing bocce during a Respect Rally held for the entire student body Monday. (Ashley Fox/Lake County Leader)
CHARLO SPECIAL OLYMPICS team members give 'high-fives' to elementary students at a Respect Rally Monday just before the athletes gear up for the Special Olympics games in Great Falls. (Ashley Fox/Lake County Leader)
Booming applause and shrieking laughter filled the Charlo High School gymnasium Monday afternoon as students and faculty gathered for the district’s first Respect Rally.
The rally was held a day before eight Charlo students and made their way to Great Falls to participate in Special Olympics.
The Charlo students travelled with athletes from St. Ignatius and Ronan.
During the rally, students watched brief videos about athletes participating in various sports and watched their classmates demonstrate bocce.
“Every Respect Rally is different,” April Charlo, tribal outreach coordinator for the Special Olympics of Montana, said.
Together, students learn how treat each other and as well as the Olympians with respect.
Special Olympics was brought to Charlo by Bethany Manuel, a K-6 special education teacher.
“This program would not exist (in Charlo) if Bethany hadn’t said, ‘How do I do this? I want to do this,’” Charlo said.
Manuel said that after Charlo visited the schools a few years ago, there was a funding opportunitiy with the Flathead Reservation Pilot grant, which helped to get “things up and running.”
She later linked up with Charlo, bringing the program to the district.
Manuel said she was able to identify who prospective athletes would be, so she “took it from there and ran.”
Spreading the word about unified partners, or students without disabilities to be teamed up with Special Olympic athletes, Manuel said that students showed interest. “We took it and ran.”
“It’s been a good eye-opener for Charlo (schools), because we’re so sports-driven” but the Special Olympics have shown that all athletes are equal.
There are three components a school must meet in order to obtain the Flathead Reservation Pilot Grant, which helps fund special olympics activities: unified student athletes; youth leadership; and whole school engagement.
Overall, the community has embraced the program.
“I’m excited to see it continue and flourish” as organizers see what works for future events.
For updates in the Charlo schools, visit www.facebook.com/charloschools/