Ritenour High School Students Create Lasting Memories during 2025 Special Olympics
More than 300 Ritenour High School students hosted more than 200 athletes on April 24, for the ninth annual Special Olympics Track & Field event.
Inside Moore Field, athletes from elementary and middle schools competed in track and field events, collecting ribbons and big smiles for their achievements. Athletes had a blast in running, jumping and softball-throw events while their RHS buddy cheered them on, shared high fives, and presented them with ribbons in each of their events.
This year, Snowdrop from Stray Rescue, participated in opening ceremonies as her wheels helped her cross the finish line amid thunderous applause.
RHS sophomore Jayden Nelson, a sprinter on the Huskies track team, said she had a blast as a buddy for a Special Olympian from Iveland Elementary.
“I really enjoyed doing these track events with her because I loved teaching and showing her how much fun track can be,” said Nelson. “It’s great to see her enjoying this event.”
Between the sporting events run by the Huskies track and field athletes, RHS buddies escorted their athletes to a variety of activities outside the stadium in the student-run Special Olympics Village. The village featured several games like bean bag toss, ring toss, Plinko and a giant version of Connect Four. They also had a blast with different sensory crafts like decorating visors and making friendship bracelets. Other activities included sidewalk chalk, parachute, racing toy cars, playing with bubbles, coloring and picking out free children’s books.
The Huskies track and field athletes ran the competitive events, while student volunteers from a variety of clubs and classes ensured the Olympic Village was filled with fun. Clubs and programs involved in making the day special included: KRHS-90.1 FM broadcast journalism students, National Honor Society, Pepper Box student journalists, students in the school’s Unified classes that combine special education and general education students, and students in the Algebra Manufacturing Processes Entrepreneurship & Design (AMPED) class. Their efforts ensured that each Olympian had a memorable experience, complete with goody bags full of prizes and crafts.
Special Olympians from Iveland, Kratz, Marion and Marvin elementary schools, and Hoech and Ritenour middle schools participated with peers from outside the district who traveled from Crestwood Elementary, Riverview Gardens’ Central Middle School, Fairview Primary and Ackerman School.
