'This is my best day ever'

Students from the West Hempstead School District enjoyed a day of fun and sportsmanship at the Nassau County Empire State Games, an annual event for the physically challenged that makes sports accessible to all.

“They look forward to it,” Kelly Byrne, a sixth-grade special education teacher at George Washington school, said. “We all wear the same T-shirts, we're all rooting for each other. Everyone has a smile on their face. It’s so positive and wonderful.”

Students took a field trip to the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale for the June 2 event. The West Hempstead district began participating in the games in 2019, when six students in Byrne’s class were the only participants from the district. Now, only a few years later, that number has jumped to more than 40.

“Just to see the amount of students that we had participating versus where we started a few short years ago was just absolutely amazing,” Bridget Karis, the district’s director of pupil personnel services, said.

Mikaela Velez, a sixth-grader in Byrne’s class, first took part in the games in 2021, and has been coming back ever since. Mikaela, who excels at basketball and her favorite, the 40-meter dash, said she likes having fun outside and getting stickers as prizes for competing.

“For me, the best thing is to see the students out there participating and having that opportunity,” Karis said. “It's a nice, fun activity for them to do.”

The games, organized by Nassau County Games for the Physically Challenged, are open to athletes ages 5 to 21 and include track and field, table tennis, football and more.

Volunteers mostly run the event, and everyone from local high school students to senior citizens were on hand to cheer the athletes on. The games also provide a way for students to be more social and make friends outside their district in an environment that is accessible, exciting and fun.

The games provide more than a field trip and a fun day — they offer a new experience and a different avenue of success for students who may find a more traditional classroom environment difficult, school officials said.

“One of the things that's so amazing about the games is that a lot of students with disabilities struggle in the school setting, where there could be frustration,” Karis said. “You take a day that is completely unstructured — yes, it's organized but it's not structured like school is — and they’re waiting in line, and they’re following new rules. All of our students are happy and do everything they need to participate.

“It's really a great opportunity for them to show their independence and do well in a situation outside of the school building,” she added.

The games are an alternate way for kids to practice the skills they need in school and beyond, district officials said.

“It really is a life lesson that they are practicing learning on the day,” Byrne said. “Cheering each other on, turn-taking, waiting in line, being respectful of others. And they all seem to do a really, really good job of that because the day is such a great opportunity.”

The jam-packed day ended with a sea of kids dressed in black and gold T-shirts — the West Hempstead school colors — boarding buses. Though surely exhausted, many of them were no doubt already looking forward to next year.

“You hear kids are getting on the bus, and yes they’re tired, but they’ll say, ‘This was my best day ever,’” Karis said. “And to hear that, we'll do it time and time again, as many times as we need to. Because to hear any student say, ‘This is my best day ever,’ that makes it worth it. That’s really why we do it.”