BOURNE — Principal Christine Borning and Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou are excited to announce that Bourne Middle School will be hosting a Unified Basketball Jamboree with Special Olympics Massachusetts tomorrow.
The district will host players from Bourne, Middleborough and Plymouth middle schools to play games against each other and celebrate the end of the season.
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 29, at 3:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Bourne Middle School gymnasium, 77 Waterhouse Road, Bourne, MA
WHAT:
The Bourne Middle School Unified Basketball Team is made up of students from grades 6-8. Unified sports provide athletics opportunities for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities.
In addition to the Bourne Middle School team, players from John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School in Middleborough and Plymouth South Middle School in Plymouth will be participating.
The jamboree will start with opening ceremonies where the student-athletes will participate in a parade into the gym. They will all recite the Special Olympic oath and students will sing the National Anthem.
After the opening ceremonies, the teams will each play two 24-minute games against one another.
At around 5:15 p.m., the jamboree will conclude with each student-athlete being recognized by officials from Special Olympics Massachusetts for a fantastic season.
This is the first year that Special Olympics Massachusetts has hosted a unified basketball season for middle schoolers, which consisted of two games and tomorrow’s jamboree throughout the month of March. There is an existing high school program that has seen great success.
“This has been such a magical season so far for the kids,” said program coordinator Kristyn Alexander. “Activities like this foster friendship, teamwork, sports comradery, acceptance and inclusion for kids on and off the basketball court. The jamboree is the perfect way to all come together and celebrate the sportsmanship and success of the unified basketball season.”
Principal Christine Borning said she was very excited to see how this first season for the middle schoolers played out.
“This has been an amazing effort by everyone involved and the kids have been having a blast this season,” Principal Borning said. “Seeing our student-athletes running around on the court and smiling and having fun has been really great to see.”
Superintendent Quinlan-Zhou said, “We’re truly so proud of all of our Unified Sports programs and Kristyn Alexander has been a huge part of their success. The jamboree will be the icing on the cake for this inaugural season and we’re thrilled to have been selected to host our region’s event to close things out.”
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