By: Vlada Rauner, Opinion Editor
Can you name all the sports teams at River Hill? Would bowling come to mind? At River Hill High School, over half of the student population is involved in some type of sport. But for some students, being able to play is not a realistic option. Students with special needs benefit greatly from physical activity but often do not have the resources to participate. Together with the Special Education Department, RHHS ensures that all students have the opportunity to benefit from the experience of playing on a team.
Special needs students with behavioral and learning difficulties often have trouble in large groups and can lack the social skills needed to build relationships, which makes creating relationships extremely hard. This is where the Allied Bowling team comes in to help. Students help each other learn how to build relationships, cooperation, and communication skills.
One of these student volunteers is Heather Capino, a senior at RHHS. She is a student mentor and member of the Allied Bowling team. She interacts with the special needs students to create a nurturing, fun, and inclusive environment. “I really enjoy helping the players and I think it is a really rewarding experience,” explains Capino.
Social interaction has proven to have behavioral and psychological benefits for special needs students. The way many special needs students learn is through mirroring behaviors and language. According to the Association for Psychological Science (APS), with social interactions in and out of the classroom, special needs students naturally imitate the behavior of others, which in turn helps them to develop language skills such as, “taking turns in conversation, communicating their needs and wants, and producing narratives.” All these factors together turn these acquaintances into friendships. Capino also has “definitely connected with a few of the players, they are all so nice”.
Over the years, the Allied Sports program at River Hill has positively affected all students who choose to become a part of something bigger than themselves. Every year, more students are starting to become involved. While all students are encouraged to participate, incoming freshmen are the main population targeted every year to become new members of an Allied team. Both the freshmen and special needs students are going through major transitions in their lives. Going into high school is stressful, but the Allied Bowling program gives everyone a platform for building relationships, because having a friend makes all the difference.