By Dakota Antelman, Contributing Writer
Westborough – Advocating inclusion and encouraging friendship, student council members from upwards of 20 Massachusetts high schools recently gathered with student Special Olympians in the Westborough High School (WHS) gym Sunday for the fifth annual Massachusetts Association of Student Councils (MASC) and Special Olympics Massachusetts (SOMA) bocce tournament.
Organized by students using the partnership between the two programs, the bocce tournament brings together special education students and student council members who either officiate games, cheer on athletes, or compete alongside athletes as their partners.
For many of these students, the tournament is a chance to befriend and connect with their classmates through a common activity.
“These Special Olympians are in the halls with us every single day,” said Dan Madden, a North Reading High School student who served as a referee at the tournament. “The whole goal of this is to not look at people as if they’re different but to be part of the inclusion revolution as Special Olympics calls it.”
Madden has been a part of the North Reading Student Council since his freshman year but only began participating in the bocce tournament last fall. Madden enjoys the event and plans to attend the MASC/SOMA bocce tournament in Rockland in the spring.
For Paul Branagan, executive director of MASC, the experience takes on another dimension, however, as he now sees the bocce tournaments as integral parts of the culture of participating schools.
“When you have been coming to these events as much as [SOMA Executive Director Patti Doherty] and I have, you see the same athletes, the same parents and the same student council members coming back,” Branagan said. “It clearly has become more than an event. It is something that is quite meaningful to a school.”
Branagan and Doherty have presided over the event since its inception in 2012. Their first tournament drew just eight schools and was the only tournament that year. Since then, the event has gained popularity with organizers adding a second tournament in January that, this year, will be hosted by Rockland High School.
Schools rotate hosting duties once every two years meaning that Westborough, having also hosted last year’s fall tournament, will pass the torch on to a different school next year.
Observing this year’s tournament, Branagan commended the WHS student council and school community for their work over the past two years.
“The student council in this town is vibrant and they are incredibly active in student leadership in their town,” he said. “This is indicative of what we know across the state but I think Westborough does a really phenomenal job.”
As Madden noted, however, the bustle of tournament day extends far beyond the confines of the host school, with some teams driving for hours to compete. Students look forward to the tournament every year and, by attending as often as possible, Doherty says these students begin to develop friendships even outside of their own schools.
“They look forward to seeing their friends from different schools,” Doherty said. “I think that that’s just spectacular. What better type of inclusiveness is there than that?”