CAMPUS
The Joy of Sports and Service HOW TABOR AND SPECIAL OLYMPICS FORGED A LASTING BOND
By Eliott Grover ’06 A new championship banner is coming to the Fish Center. Unlike the others, this one will not be Tabor Red. Last year, Tabor earned national recognition from Special Olympics as a Unified Champion School and will soon receive a banner to honor this achievement. In announcing the news, Special Olympics praised Tabor for meeting standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect. The partnership that has blossomed between the school and Special Olympics in recent years is a testament to what happens when impassioned student leaders mobilize an entire community to support an important cause. Going into her senior year, Molly Bent ’16 had a full plate. She was committed to play basketball at the University of Connecticut the following year and her rigorous schedule included four AP classes. But when the opportunity emerged to initiate a relationship between Tabor and Special Olympics, she jumped. Molly’s sister, Sarah, was born with Down Syndrome and had competed in Special Olympics for many years. Working with Tim Cleary, Tabor’s Dean of Students, and a number of her classmates, Molly started a Special Olympics club. Ahead of their first event, she authored a Tabortalk blog post to rally her peers. “The people involved are the most important aspects of any Special Olympics program. Volunteers need to be energetic, selfless and kind, and the students at Tabor are all those things.” In the months that followed, the community proved Molly right. The Young Athletes Program, the club’s flagship offering, was a tremendous success, so they planned more events to increase their reach. On Valentine’s Day 2016, they organized a Special Olympics basketball tournament and hosted 11 local teams. The tournament was staffed entirely by Tabor students who were overwhelmed by the outpouring of gratitude they received from the athletes’ families.
20 TABOR TODAY | Spring 2021
