NOVA Special Olympics held at Ireton

Andrew Benson Memorial Tournament Held at Ireton

By Cami Perez

Bishop Ireton High School hosted the 2021 Nova Special Olympics Soccer Tournament which was held on October 31st on Fannon Field in memory of Andrew Benson. According to the socialstudies teacher and Co-Chair of the event, Mrs. Sbragia, “This was the first major community event hosted by our Bishop Ireton Special Services Program. We are overjoyed that the First Annual Andrew Benson Memorial Special Olympics Soccer Tournament was an incredible success and special memorial to our former student. All of the organizers and volunteers were excited to be a part of this extraordinarily memorable event that honored Andrew and supported the Special Olympics. It truly felt like a magical day.” The Benson family attended the tournament and was very happy to see the tournament succeed. Charlotte Benson, Andrew’s sister and a sophomore at Bishop Ireton, commented that “Andrew was always so passionate about helping others, especially people who had disabilities, so that’s why the thought of hosting a Special Olympics came to mind. Whether it was speaking up for those who were too afraid to or simply lending a helping hand, he was one to count on.” A junior at Bishop Ireton, Ginny McMahon, played at the tournament that day and said “The games were fun, there was candy, I had friends who played for PVI and I knew people who work at the Cameron’s Chocolates who were there. I was the only BI student who played, and I want the event to continue next year.” The tournament had approximately 140 students, staff, and community volunteers who worked at the checkin station, concession stand, provided donations for the concession stand, supervised many games for athletes and families in between games, acted as referees and line judges, emceed the event, and kept the whole day running smoothly.

Senior Spotlight: Ella Rier

By Jane Elkins

Senior Ella Rier started playing field hockey her sophomore year and immediately made varsity. This season, she played a key role in the teams sucess. The team went 11-4 overall, which is their best record ever. Throughout the season, the team remained a strong competitor, defeating some of the best teams in the conference like Saint Johns and Good Counsel. They even made it all the way to the WCAC finals this year where they faced Saint Johns yet again. The team fought hard, but eventually lost in sudden death overtime. Nontheless, the team still finished 2nd in the conference, which is the furthest the team has ever gone. Rier was named 2nd team all-conference. Her favorite memories of this season were singing Hamilton on bus rides, being able to practice with her best friends every day, and winning. “I am so lucky to have such an amazing team” Reir says. “We had such great chemistry this season which I think is the reason we saw success on the field.”