Westmoreland County SPECIAL OLYMPICS at Norwin Knights Stadium
Approximately 170 athletes enjoyed a day of sporting competition at the 2018 Westmoreland County Special Olympics track and field event held Saturday, May 5, 2018 at Norwin Knights Stadium.
Norwin School District was well represented with 17 student-athletes and 100 student volunteers, with many helping to run the events or serve as“ Peer Buddies” to assist the athletes.
Events included races of various distances, pentathlon, softball, javelin, shot put, and standing and running long jump, among others. Each athlete competed in three events.
Afterward, they could enjoy fun activities at an“ Olympic Village” that consisted of booths featuring face painting, corn hole, a disc jockey, or soccer. There was also a medal ceremony.
Special Olympics has many events throughout the year, including bowling, basketball, and golf, but track and field is the biggest event of the season, said Mrs. Annie Grimes Essay, Norwin High School Life Skills Support Teacher and Chair of the Norwin Committee for Special Olympics. Special Olympics of Westmoreland County ran the May 5th event.
A photo of Norwin participants and Peer Buddies getting ready for the awards ceremony.
“ The significance of Special Olympics is for these special athletes to have an opportunity to shine and to have fun,” Mrs. Grimes Essay said.“ We want them to have the opportunity to compete and have some great fun in a goodwill environment, and we want the community to be involved. Special Olympics is a time for these kids to be No. 1 and to have a little bit of the spotlight on them.”
The mission of Special Olympics PA is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
orwin
Opioids Awareness Video Delivers Message Aimed at Combating Addiction Epidemic
Excela Health has created a high-quality, documentary-style video in partnership with Norwin School District that intends to raise awareness about the public health epidemic of opioid addictions.
Aimed at student-athletes, the video features footage of Norwin student-athletes and interviews with Norwin coaches, principals, and administrators, as well as Excela Health Dr. Scott Berry and North Huntingdon Police Department Acting Chief Rod Mahinske. Ms. Abbey Zorzi, a Norwin graduate and former student-athlete, bravely shares her personal story of recovery in the video.
Norwin School District is grateful to Excela Health for its support of the initiative. The video is available for anyone to watch at the Norwin School District Web site at www. norwinsd. org.
We highly encourage all members of the greater Norwin community to view the video and its potentially life-saving message.
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Aerial shot of a Norwin football practice filmed by Excela Health for an opioids awareness video.
The YWCA of Westmoreland County has named PAIGE THORNBURG as a 2018 Sportswoman of the Year.
Paige was honored in the Sportswoman with Special Needs category.
She is a 10-year member of the Special Olympics Allegheny Bulldogs program competing in soccer, swimming, basketball and bowling at the local and regional levels. Paige was chosen to be on the Special Olympics State Unified Youth Committee in her junior and senior years at Norwin High School.
Paige currently attends the Bearcat B. E. S. T. Program at Saint Vincent College, which provides academics, vocational training, activities of daily living, and social skills to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have finished High School but who are entitled to special education services through age 21.
Paige works in the Saint Vincent College library and takes a full schedule of classes each day.
In all, the YWCA honored 11 individuals and two teams representing the sports of basketball, cheerleading, distance running, fitness, gymnastics, fitness, soccer, softball, and volleyball at their annual awards banquet in April. Two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Burgher-Duncan gave the keynote speech.
Paige’ s Norwin High School teachers recalled her commitment to academics and to be part of the community, including being the manager for the Lady Knights Soccer team in her senior year, working at the Norwin Teachers Federal Credit Union, and helping in the Life Skills classroom at Sunset Valley. She also volunteers at her church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in North Huntingdon, PA.