By ADRIANA GUTH-BOROWSKI – On May 3, students with disabilities joined together at the annual Spirit Day, hosted by IHS Key Club. Students from Indiana and Armstrong county participated in a fun day filled with activities.

Events during the day included track and field competitions, face painting, pictures with disney characters, and a trophy ceremony. Students were provided with Spirit Day shirts to commemorate the occasion.

“It was really cool to see how excited the kids were to participate in the events,” said junior Hannah Lupinetti. “It was nice to see how proud they were to receive their trophies from the characters.”

Track competitions included running, jumping and throwing. Every attendant had the opportunity to participate in each event.

Key Club members worked to make the day go as smoothly as possible. Members were assigned buddies during the day and worked to make the day as fun as possible for their buddy.

“My goal as a buddy was to make it their day and to do what I could do to make them happy,” expressed sophomore Fima Sissoko. “It made me happy to see them enjoying themselves.”

The IHS Drama Department students dressed up as characters and entertained the Spirit Day participants. The characters took pictures with the participants and also read stories to the elementary students.

The students who dressed up include Lily Carone, Danny Lee, Jacob Valentine, Reese McFarlane, Grace Wadding, Alyssa McLane, Audra Moore, Meagan Hatfield, Avery Olenchick, Athena Yang, Nick Skalican, and Trista Newman. Jorie Meil and Jessica Morse assisted the characters and took pictures of the students.

“It was a really fun experience because all of the kids were super sweet. They were really fun and they loved getting pictures,” stated sophomore Audra Moore, who dressed up as Mary Poppins. “My favorite part of the day was reading to the kids during story time.”

IUP football players attended the events and acted as buddies throughout the day. Students enjoyed the company and played catch with the team members.

IHS Key Club worked to make the day as special as possible for the students. Volunteers worked to give the participants a memorable day that made an impact on their lives.

[Photo By Mason McCauley]

Photo Caption: “With the help of buddies, a Spirit Day participant runs in the track events.”