MARION — Tabor Academy hosted over 250 athletes and their teachers on Wednesday morning, Nov. 7 for the Special Olympics.

Athletes and unified teams competed in a variety of events including basketball, volleyball, weightlifting, soccer, frisbee, and more. Tabor students participated alongside visiting students to help them feel welcome and ready to play.

Tim Cleary, Dean of Students, said, “our day with Special Olympics was a highlight of the fall for me.” 

He added that the Special Olympics representatives and the teachers coming from area schools told him they had never seen students engage in these events as well as the Tabor students.

One notable anecdote that Cleary heard was about a visiting student who “rarely makes eye-contact with anyone and often has her chin buried in her chest.” Cleary was told that by the end of the day, the visitor was seeking out Tabor students to play, without needing coaxing from teachers or Special Olympics officials.

Tabor Academy will host the “Polar Plunge” at Silvershell Beach in Marion on Dec. 15 at 11:15 for their next Special Olympics event. To sign up, go to: https://specialolympicsma.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=570