Click to enlarge CHRIS JENNINGS / HERALD DEMOCRAT Skyler Powell tosses the basketball towards a hoop during a Special Olympic practice at Sherman High School Tuesday afternoon.

BY CONNIE HARSHMAN

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Walking toward the basket, Sherman ISD student Vannessa Jenkins bounced with excitement as she held on to a basketball and practiced her dribbling skills in the Sherman High School gym on Tuesday.

Vannessa is one of more than 50 Sherman ISD students that participated in the practice -- trying to get ready for an area competition in McKinney on Feb. 20.

"This (the Special Olympics) allows them to participate in extracurricular activities just like every other child," said Danna Percell, Special Olympic head of delegation and coach for Sherman school district.

Every year, Percell and life skills teachers around the district participate in the various activities that make up the Special Olympic games that last throughout the school year. "We do bowling in the fall, basketball, after Christmas and track after spring break," Percell said. "And, every year my kids ask when they are doing bowling, then after bowling they ask about basketball. They love it." There are several more activities in Special Olympics -- bowling, basketball and track are the three SISD participate in.

The games began in 1968, and were created and funded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, head of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation. The games are designed to empower kids with intellectual disabilities such down syndrome and cerebral palsy -- to become healthy, productive and respected members of society through physical activity and competition.

SISD teacher Jewell Woodson said the practice Tuesday gave the children an opportunity develop thier physical abilities. "This (Tuesday's event) was more of a practice to get the kids used to doing it," she said. "These kids don't just go out and do things like the rest of us, they have to practice, practice and practice some more."

On the local level, the Special Olympic games are funded by the individual districts and various charities. Sherman ISD allocates a certain amount of money for food, transportation and the charities help with the purchase of uniforms, Percell said. "Not all of them have them on today, but all of the students do have uniforms."

This is Percell's 13th year coordinating Sherman's participation in the popular games. "I brought all my kids from kindergarten to 12th grade and if everything is approved and the principals are OK with it, next year I will invite other teams like Pottsboro and Whitesboro, but I needed to practice with my own kids first," Percell said.

Sherman teacher Mark Stout said if anyone comes to the event, "they can see it is great fun. We have a lot of students that are helping out. This makes them (the participants) happy and the kids enjoy it."

Stout said the objective is to help the students and "give them a better quality of life. By being involved in recreation it improves their life."

Sherman High School students also got the chance to become involved with the event. SHS Senior DaShannon Peters said she is enjoying helping out with the Special Olympics "because it is very fun watching them get happy and helping them is really great. They get so excited, and that gets me excited."

DaShannon said that helping out with the event has changed her life. "Hopefully I can go to school for this," she said. "I want to be a teacher and if I could do this, then that would be great. I think the biggest misconception people have of these children is that they judge them without getting to know them. They are definitely positive, nice and outgoing."

Being around the special children, DaShannon said anyone can tell that the kids are not afflicted with the negativity that comes along with life.

They are "the sweetest kids," she said.

Woodson agrees with DaShannnon and said "when people hear Special Olympics, they think the reason we have this is because the special education kids can't do the things other kids can. But through the support of family, friends and the community, these kids can do more things than anyone could possibly imagine.

"As I marvel at what other professional athletes can do, I feel the same about these children," she added.