Dist. 300 students represent school through Special Olympics

Jessie Serio is no stranger to competition. The Jacobs High School student captured a gold medal last year for her performance at the Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games.

But before this school year, Jessie was set apart from classmates who could participate in debate, football or drama. Jessie could not represent her school.

That changed this year when Jim Blaseck, an adaptive physical education teacher, started a Special Olympics basketball team at the Algonquin high school.

Before this year, the only way special education students at Jacobs could compete in sports was through outside organizations like the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association or during their flex block when the rest of the school was eating lunch.

When the school did away with the flex period, students lost one of the few opportunities they had to participate in sports.

Blaseck, who saw the potential his special-needs students had in physical education class, decided to start a team that could compete against other schools.

"I noticed that there weren't current running Special Olympics programs," Blaseck said. "District 300 is a pretty big district to not be represented."

Blaseck assembled a coed team of 11 students who had shown talent for the game in his physical education classes. He had the advantage of being able to coach many of the kids during class.

Also, because of the way special education students are distributed through the district, Blaseck said he had a larger pool of talent at Jacobs.

Over two months, Blaseck was able to teach students who had little prior experience in competitive sports how to guard their opponents and pass the ball to open teammates.

The team played four games during the regular season, compiling a record of 3-1, and competed in the regional qualifying tournament in Vernon Hills on Sunday.

"It went great," Blaseck said. "The response has been awesome. The parents of the kids have been very supportive."

Lori Novak, Jessie's mom, said she would rather watch a Special Olympics basketball game than a regular high school game.

"You never know what's going to happen," she said.

During one of the games, Jessie found herself upcourt, without a teammate in sight or a clear shot. She tossed the ball behind her. According to her mother, the ball landed in the hands of a teammate who made a shot attempt.

Experiences like this enable special education students to feel the same camaraderie their regular education classmates feel when they compete against other schools in softball or forensics tournaments.

"It makes them a part of Jacobs," Novak said. "It lets them know they're just like everybody else."

Because of the success of the basketball team, Blaseck plans to expand the Special Olympics program. The coach hopes to start a track and field team for special education students in the spring as well as a basketball team for middle school students.