Notre Dame High Club Kicks it With Special Olympics

Serendipity smiled on Notre Dame High School's Care to Share Club when they went looking for a volunteer opportunity with the Special Olympics and found them already practicing on the school's soccer field.

"Initially they were going to go to the East Bay to do community service with the Special Olympics. Independently, Special Olympics had asked if they could use our field," said Kay Polintan, campus ministry coordinator and club advisor.

Every Tuesday a handful of the Care to Share Club and other students work with the Special Olympics athletes, leading them in warm-up stretches and assisting in practices.

NDHS sophomore Katie Petrini and co-president and fellow sophomore Tayler Eastman want to promote volunteerism and community service, and felt that working with Special Olympics would be a good draw to get other students involved. They were right. The event has become so popular there is a waiting list.

"We're booked for three weeks ahead of time. People love it," Petrini said.

Sophomore Laleh Tchaparian is vice president of the club. She shows up to work with the athletes regardless of collecting community service hours.

"I didn't do it for community service hours. I just did it for fun," she said.

Following a recent practice Eastman, Petrini, Tchaparian and sophomore Katrina Rey perfected some cheers they developed for a "big game" the Special Olympics athletes will play this month.

"There are three different competitions so we need to come up with three different cheers," Eastman said.

"Maybe we can do this," she added as she rotated into a cartwheel.

"The only problem with that is you're the only one who can do that," Tchaparian replied.

The cheers aren't part of the club's scope of work with the athletes, it's just something the girls want to do for them.

Special Olympics coach Angel Sheridan says the club and other students have been a huge help.

"They pretty much run the warm-up and stretches on their own," Sheridan said.

And the athletes love the students, too, she added.

"It's so much fun. I think we have more fun than they do," Petrini said.