North Royalton Middle School welcomed students from three area schools on September 24 for its annual Unified Sports “Play, Connect, Celebrate” Back to School Bash.
Students from Westlake Middle School, Strongsville Middle School and Highland Middle School joined North Royalton students for a morning focused on friendship, inclusion and fun.
The celebration began in the NRMS Gold Gym, where students had plenty of opportunities to interact and get to know one another. Activities included cornhole, ribbon wands, a photo booth, a community craft and dancing. Students also enjoyed lunch together before returning to the activities for the remainder of the event.
NRMS Peer Helpers played an important role in the day, helping welcome visiting students, participating alongside their guests and making sure everyone felt included in the celebration.
The event is part of North Royalton Middle School’s Unified Sports program, which creates opportunities for students of all abilities to participate together while building relationships and a stronger sense of belonging.
“Play, Connect, Celebrate is one of those days our students look forward to because it allows them to meet new people, build friendships and simply have fun together,” said Meredith Stanton, NRMS educator, coach and Unified Sports coordinator. “Our Peer Helpers put so much enthusiasm into making our guests feel welcome, and it is wonderful to see the connections that are made throughout the day.”
“Our Unified Sports program at North Royalton Middle School, led by health and physical education teacher Meredith Stanton, brings students of all abilities from multiple school districts together to build friendships and promote a sense of belonging,” said Superintendent Jeff Cicerchi. “Equally impressive is seeing our peer helpers support their classmates while demonstrating leadership and empathy, two of the competencies in our Portrait of a Bear.”
Special thanks to the North Royalton Middle School PTA and Student Council for their sponsorship.
