NSSRA Gator Athletes Celebrate a
Successful Year at Annual Picnic
NSSRA's Gator athletes toasted a triumphant year with tacos and team spirit at their annual picnic on October 15. A few dozen Gator
athletes arrived at Highland Park's Sunset Woods Park on a chilly Tuesday evening, ready to play a few good-natured, non-competitive
games and celebrate their array of medals from tournaments and competitions so far this year.
Between basketball, bowling, softball, tennis and volleyball tournaments, and swim, track and field and powerlifting meets, plus a
golf qualifer, the Gators have won a combined total of 12 bronze, 19 silver and 33 gold medals this year, and there are still a few more
competitions yet to go! #gogators
For more Gator news, check out the new Gator section on pages 44 - 46.
NSSRA Facilitates Peer Mentor Workshops at
Glenbrook South and Highland Park High Schools
In October we had the opportunity to facilitate
two peer mentoring workshops with over
100 high school students from Glenbrook
South and Highland Park high schools. Peer
mentoring creates opportunities for students
with and without disabilities to bond and form
relationships throughout the year. NSSRA has
hosted peer mentoring training in partnership
with GBS for nearly 30 years, and this was our
second year with HPHS.
This year students participated in activities
designed to help them develop an
understanding of people with disabilities,
accessibility and how to be an advocate.
Activities that allow students to work together
while communicating in different ways create a
more inclusive mindset overall.
NSSRA full-time staff also led students through
engaging discussions on how to help empower
those with disabilities to make friends and be
an integrated part of their school communities.
Once trained, peer mentors are paired with
one or several students, sometimes in a
special education classroom or in an activity
outside the classroom, like PE. The program
serves as a bridge builder between students
in general education and special education
classes, assisting in creating an atmosphere of
belonging at school for everyone.
NSSRA | (847) 509-9400 • [email protected] • register.nssra.org • www.nssra.org
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