Unified Basketball victories on and off the court

 

 

By EVA HANEGRAAFF

 NORTH READING ⏤ This fall, North Reading’s sports teams have had highly successful seasons, winning CAL titles, moving on to post-season for many.  These impressive records do not stop here, as the high school’s unified basketball team has maintained an undefeated record of 3-0 going into their jamboree at Danvers High School next week.

 The unified team is made up of both students in the special education program, and “partners” who are other students at the high school. There are usually three athletes and two partners out on the court at any given time.  “The rules are pretty similar to a typical basketball game,” Jonathan Hudson, special education teacher and unified coach, explains. Other than a running clock and a complete substitution every five minutes, the rules are largely that of a typical basketball game, he said. “We have three point shooting, we have lay ups, we have free throws, fouls,” he explains.

 On their impressive record, Hudson asserts, “we have a really good team this year.”  Their success can be attributed to many different factors.  Athlete captain Michael Pittore gave his hypothesis in saying, “we have an aggressive team.” Lily Abenaim, a junior in the special education program, put it differently, denoting, “other schools may have toughness, but us Hornets have confidence.”  Regardless of the reason behind their victorious season so far, Hudson remarks, “they’re working hard, having fun and that’s the most important thing.”

 It is evident that everyone on the team is integral in their own way to the success of the whole.  Hudson recounts a specific instance in which the team was “losing at halftime to Lynnfield, and Lily gathered our entire team together and gave us a pep talk.”  After this, the team was able to come together and win the game.  When asked about the contents of this pep talk, Abenaim cites gaining inspiration from her personal principles and beliefs.  “I know we have potential, and I’ve seen what we are capable of doing, and we have to keep this up,” she remembers telling her team. Though winning is always exciting, the unified team understands that it is not the real goal.  “Yes, it’s fun to win, but the most important thing is having fun,” partner captain Erin Hatton explains.

 However, as with any sport, competition is inevitable.  In fact, Pittore even admits to preferring more difficult games. He describes that he enjoys playing more aggressively in order to combat tough opponents.  Hudson adds that his rivalries always lead to a more interesting game.  Hatton recounts one specific example of this when she says, “He was back and forth with one boy at a game a few weeks ago, and he kept getting so mad.”  She goes on to explain that “he was so fired up and at the end of the game, he went up to the boy, shook his hand, gave him a hug, and said, ‘thank you for making me a better player.’”

 

Captains

 Along with Pittore and Hatton, Ava Collins is another senior captain.  Like Hatton, she is also a partner captain and both have been involved in the program since their freshman year.  Their original introduction to the program was through Annie Kuperstein, an alum of NRHS who graduated in 2023, when she was in high school.

 Collins describes the importance of Kuperstein’s guidance to her own involvement within the program. “When coming into high school, I kind of was nervous to get involved in too much, so I sat back a little bit and didn’t really get involved that much,” she said.  She goes on to recount, “one day, Annie Kuperstein was like, ‘oh, Ava, you should come play board games.’ So I started with the board games, and it brought me here.”  It is unlikely that her freshman year self would ever have thought she would have such a vital role in the program today.

 This is especially true as this position comes with significant responsibilities.  “Being a captain means that we need to be the leaders and lead by example in practices and in any activity, unified related, because everyone on the team looks to us,” Hatton explains.  For Pittore, this adjustment was easy, as Hudson explains, “Michael has been a leader on our teams, probably since his freshman year,” adding, “he’s been one of our go to players.”  Collins affirms this assessment in saying, “Michael is just a huge factor of our team. He always puts in his most effort.”  She adds, “He is a true leader on the court showing other students how to pass.”

 

Growth and Change

 The unified program started with Kuperstein who had heard about unified bocce through a Student Council meeting in 2019.  A team of three athletes and three partners was assembled to compete at a tournament in Pembroke.  In 2021, after the Covid 19 pandemic, a basketball team was formed.

On their first ever home basketball game, Hudson remembers, “the football team was there, soccer teams, field hockey, cross country, the gym was packed, and just seeing everybody cheering for our team was probably the highlight that I think back to right away.”

Hatton and Collins are also a big reason for unified’s school-wide recognition, from organizing the “Polar Plunge” event last winter.  Hatton explains, “That was when we really started to see how much of an impact we’ve had, bringing the whole school together for an event.”

Interning with the Special Education Program

Both Collins and Hatton are interns in the special education program, working closely with Hudson, and learning what goes into running a program of this nature. Some of their responsibilities as interns include accompanying students on outings and to internships of their own and aiding the teachers in different ways around the classroom.

Collins explains, “We practice social skills and just to see these students be socially involved, it’s awesome.”  Collins and Hatton go with the students to Market Basket twice a week, helping them get groceries for themselves and the classroom.  They also work with the students to collect and sort mail from the mailroom.  Another job they take on is to accompany Pittore and Lindsey Hanson in their internships at Ryer’s Country Store.  “They get to do different chores around the store, learning different life skills that they would have at a job,” Hatton says.  Collins adds, “little skills that are going to bring them so far in life and I’m so grateful to be involved in that.”

For Hatton and Collins, this internship opportunity was not always easy.  They often faced challenges that have allowed them to better understand the students and themselves as a result.  “It’s always easy to give someone attention that is able to be involved in a conversation back, but some of these students are nonverbal,” Collins remarks.  “I’m always constantly trying to do my actions with them,” she explains.

For Hatton, her challenges stem more from striking a balance.  She explains, “I’m a student, and there’s always that line between like a student and a teacher, and there have been times where I’m like, ‘Oh, am I supposed to be doing this, or should I let the teacher handle it?’ And I don’t want to overstep my boundaries, because a lot of the students also see me as a friend.”  Later, however, she goes on to identify how this blurred distinction actually helps her in some aspects of her internship. “When they’re not listening to the teacher, I can say it in a different way,” she says. Both agree that, although challenging, they are extremely appreciative of the experience. “It’s my favorite part of the day!” Collins asserts.

Special Education Program Beyond Basketball

While basketball is a major part of the special education program’s outreach, over the years they have branched out in a variety of other ways as well.  Along with basketball, the unified team also participates in bocce tournaments and weekly conditioning practices in the winter.

Now that the high school’s unified program has expanded to three sports, they have gained the nationally recognized honor of being a Unified Champion School.  They also have transitioned to hosting bocce tournaments the past two years.  With the help of the Student Council, these events have been organized and carried out seamlessly.  Hudson explains, “There’s a lot of work that gets put into it.” Though he adds, “the great thing is, day of, we don’t have to travel anywhere. We’re just here.”

The lack of travel is not the only benefit to hosting, as Hudson explains, “The host school gets to do like the athletes oath and one year, Michael was the torch bearer, and then Lindsey was a torch bearer last year.”  He adds, “hosting is great because it puts our school in the spotlight.”  Unfortunately, North Reading is not hosting this year, but students are still encouraged to travel and support the team wherever the event ends up being held.

Bocce is another sport that many students choose to participate in and support. “Sometimes we see that some students prefer bocce because it’s a little bit less of an over exerting activity,” explains Hatton.

The work on the unified and special education program does not just stop at sports.  Through the work of Collins and Hatton, there have been two other major events in which the unified team has taken a pivotal role.  Collins identifies both the Polar Plunge, an event that was held last winter and raised $15,000 for the Special Olympics, and the continued presence of the unified team during pep rally.

The unified group also engages in a walking club every Thursday that is open to any student. “We have conversations with these students to kind of make them feel seen and hear about their life too,” Collins says.  On Fridays, students are invited to play board games. “That’s always a favorite, of course,” Hatton adds.

Out of these activities, Collins explains how her favorite has changed as she’s spent more time with the program. “If you asked me freshman year, I would say board games just because I was so scared to get in front of the whole school to play basketball!”  She adds, “but now, I think basketball [is my favorite] because you can see how happy it makes these students to get involved and be the stars of the community.”

Going Beyond NRHS

Not only is Lily Abenaim a player on the unified team, she is also an incredible singer who has been invited to sing at Special Olympics events around Boston. She’s sung at a Northeastern hockey game on Special Olympics Night, a Celtics game on Special Olympics Night and at Harvard Stadium.

When describing her role on the unified team Abenaim states, “the anthem is my job, and I really like singing.”  When asked which event has been her favorite, she asserts, “I would say the Celtics, because I felt very famous and I was on live television.”  To describe this experience, Abenaim says, “It was a lot of fun. It was my first time singing there, so I was a little bit nervous but after I sang, I felt really proud.”

Community Impact

Abenaim’s singing success is not the only proof of the unified team’s growing impact, however, as it is clearly exemplified in a variety of other aspects of the school culture. “It’s grown so much. And I think a big part of that is sports teams and really trying to get the unified program out there to people,” Collins explains, adding, “we’ve had so many new people from those sports teams that watched our games last year come to join us because they want to be part of it.”

Hudson cites another example. “I think back to two graduations ago where Mr. Loprete used it in his graduation speech.”  He adds, “I think it had just had a really big impact on our school as a whole, and it’s been great to see all of the students included in one way or another.”

For Collins, the impact is represented with the individuals. She says, “we’re able to kind of bridge the gap between these students with disabilities and other students without disabilities.”  She goes on to explain, “I think that’s been my favorite part, just seeing how the community shows up for the students as well.”

Being involved in the unified program has had a personal and lasting impact on their lives, for the better for both Collins and Hatton.  “I just feel like I’m a completely different person than I was freshman year coming out of the program now,” Hatton says, adding, “You can’t get that feeling anywhere else.”  This experience for Collins, has led her to sign up to be a volunteer with Special Olympics of Massachusetts which is a program that she can remain involved in for the rest of her life, even if she does not decide to pursue a career in special education.

Both students said that they hope to get involved in a unified program in college as well. “Special Olympics has been a huge part of my life, and I cannot imagine life without it,” Hatton said.  In college, a school with a unified sports program is a big consideration for them both. “I know that we’ve made such a difference at our school with inclusion, but now that I’m going into college, I have an opportunity to do something bigger with this program and use what I’ve already learned,” she says.

Even though she is not looking to go into special education, she says, “Whatever I do in life, I’m going to be faced with times when I’m working with people of all different abilities. So all the work I’m doing now, I’m going to need later in life.”

 How to Join

 The unified program is always accepting new student volunteers. “If you’re interested, give it a shot,” Hudson said, adding, “come, hang out and see if it’s something you want to do because I think it really is for everybody.”  Hudson encourages students to email him or just show up to learn more about the unified program.