Special Olympics Unified Club organized a basketball game with partner school The Help Group in Taper Gym on May 22. The game was the final event held between the schools this year with the purpose of supporting The Help Group’s athletes.
The Help Group is a nonprofit school for students with developmental disabilities and disorders. The school aims to support students by offering a variety of specialized learning programs.
Special Olympics Unified Club leader Bella Spencer ’25 said students were able to form bonds with the athletes by attending the game.
“It’s super important to forge a strong sense of community,” Spencer said. “The Help Group kids are so excited to meet us and interact with new people outside of their space. And with Harvard-Westlake, as we’re such a welcoming community, I think it’s also important that everyone gets out here and supports these athletes.”
Special Olympics Unified Club leader Michaela Williams ’26 said the goal of the event was to connect the students with the neurodivergent athletes, creating an inclusive environment without any awkwardness.
“We are a school whose mission statement is about diversity, equity and inclusion, so we think that including students of all types benefits our school greatly,” Williams said. “We love talking one-on-one with other students. We just want it to feel like a natural relationship between [the school’s] students and The Help Group students.”
Special Olympics Unified Club member Kannan Reddy ’26 said students came together to discover more about each others’ lives and that this experience was one distinct to the school.
“Special Olympics helps integrate these kids from The Help Group into a normal social environment,” Reddy said. “It’s really helpful for the [the school] students and the Help Group students to come together to learn about their different backgrounds that they come from and share their experiences. Seeing all of these kids interact with kids that they wouldn’t typically interact with and forming these unique social bonds that you don’t really see anywhere else is my favorite part about this.”
