BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A day filled with fun and activities shared with 300 students with special needs at Garces Memorial High School.
- Garces Memorial High School is hosting a Play Day for students with special needs.
- The day aims to promote fun and inclusion for all attendees.
- The event highlights the school's commitment to supporting special needs education in the community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Garces Memorial High School Invites Students to Their Campus for Their Annual Play Day. This is a day for students with special needs to connect with the community.
Play Day is a day for students with special needs to have a day filled with fun, connection, and inclusivity, but it's so much more. Garces Memorial High School started this event in 1993, and it was held annually for 26 years until COVID-19 hit. This year is the first year they are bringing back the day since the pandemic. The high school says they do this event to bring them closer to the community as well as to make new friendships.
Kristen Zasoski, is an English Teacher and the Service Director at Garces Memorial High School and she says, "I was actually a student at Garces. I graduated in 2008, and I did this for four years when I was here, so it's really fun to be on the other side of it now and see how our students get along with their buddies and seeing those connections made like the ones I made when I was here."
Zasoski adds that this is a learning experience for everyone, not just the students with special needs, but also the high schoolers who are making these connections that could last a lifetime.
Participants at the event say they are happy that Garces opens their campus and their hearts, as this event allows for students to learn more about all the remarkable people.
Julie Peña, is a Coordinator with KCSOS Special Education and she says, "They will grow up in this community, and these students will grow with them, and they will meet again and cross paths again, and it benefits everybody to just have more compassion and understanding for differences in our society."
Brandon Antongiovanni is the co-president for the ASB program at Garces Memorial High School, and he says this is a way to fulfill their obligations as Catholics and Christians. "Students with special needs from various Kern schools are here at Garces to have fun. We have so many games and activities set up for them, from the carnival to the blow-up sports or textile coloring and blacklight in the gym."
300 students were invited to the event, all paired with a high schooler who attends Garces Memorial High School.
Attendees add this event is essential to the success of their students, as it helps students with social skills, and it also serves as a way to benefit the community by allowing it to experience others who have different needs.
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