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East Longmeadow High School 2nd annual Unified Games Day

EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWL) – On the grounds of East Longmeadow High School, unified sports brought students of all abilities together. This event saw nearly 70 middle and high school students from across the area. It provided them with a chance to celebrate and support one another. It was a day of fun and camaraderie at East Longmeadow High School as students from four different school districts came together for the 2nd annual Unified Games Day. 'It feels good,' said 9th-grade East Longmeadow High School student, Ronan Shaw. 'It's really awesome, it's like wicked awesome,' added 9th-grade East Longmeadow High School student Abby Pelletiar. Out on the school's field and track, students with and without disabilities got to play and compete alongside each other in a series of sports and games. They got to take part in a 100-meter dash, whether it be through walking, running, or riding bikes. Other events included an obstacle course and hurdles, a relay race, and a long jump. Organizers say this is not only a fun event but also provides a platform for students to inspire inclusive leadership and form meaningful connections. 'It's definitely about making friends and connections and just finding commonalities between people that you may not have known. You have commonalities with,' said PE Teacher at East Longmeadow High School, Mackenzie Paolini. For 9th grader Abby, making new friends and playing sports is what the day was all about. 'I did the parachutes and Hoola hoops, it was like so awesome,' said Pelletiar. 11th-grade East Longmeadow High School student, Emma Roffe volunteered her time to make sure students with or without disabilities had a great time. 'It's amazing. I love all these kids so much. They become so small. We come so close over the past couple of months. So, you know, I'm just so excited to be here supporting them,' said Roffe. And the impact goes beyond just one day, this event serves as a reminder of the importance of inclusion and acceptance in our communities. And at the end of the event, these athletes ran through a tunnel and received a medal from Special Olympics. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.