New sports program offers opportunities for Etowah County students with special needs

John S. Jones Elementary School in Etowah County is working to increase athletic opportunities for its students with special needs through the creation of its own sports program.

The program is called Magic Panthers.A grant from the McDonald's Golden Grant Association helped fund the program.

Nearly 40 students participate. Next week, they will wrap up their first season of kickball.

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"She loves to compete. She loves to be with others," said Michelle Pierce.

Her daughter, Lynley, has participated in sports before. However, the older Lynley has gotten, it's become more of a challenge to find programs in Etowah County geared toward children with special needs.

"As she got older some of the others were farther ahead of her, so we've kind of backed out of that," explained Pierce. "Now, at the age she is, we would have to travel a good ways, probably 45 minutes to an hour just for her to be able to participate. It would be a lot harder," said Pierce.

Magic Panthers is a game-changer. Lynley is a big fan of the program.

"It's so cute. I love it so much," said Lynley.

She loves "kicking the ball and scoring points."

"A lot of early intervention really makes their future successful. Having this team aspect at a young age not only teaches them cooperation with their peers but also helps them with fine motor skills," said Amber Works, a special needs teacher at John Jones. "A lot of our students have fine motor needs and receive occupational therapy so this has been a team-building experience for all of us. We are able to work with our related service providers for them to work on kicking, catching the ball, throwing the ball which is something that a lot of these students haven't had the opportunity to participate in before."

Jacksonville State University's women's soccer team has also helped with the program by teaching students the fundamentals of kicking. The Southside High School lady's soccer team has assisted with kickball games as peer helpers.

Aside from kickball, the athletics program offered opportunities for cheerleading by collaborating with local high schools.

"This has been a really good opportunity for our community to come together," said Works. "There aren't a whole lot of opportunities in our community for our special needs students so just seeing the support we've received from all the surrounding schools has been really special to us."

Works has already noticed a change in her students.

"One specifically, that's a student in my class has a lot of difficulty with just running in general. This extra practice has really helped her balance. I've noticed a difference in her balance. Even just walking down the hallway like going to the lunch room or P.E. I've noticed a specific change in her and the way that she's able to hold herself. Her core strength has gotten so much better. Just small things like that, we are noticing throughout the school day," said Works.

The Magic Panthers program is also preparing students for the Special Olympics. Etowah County and Attalla City Schools will host their first event this month.

In Gadsden, an investment in special needs sports is being made, too. Champions Field is under construction as part of a 20 million-dollar project at the Gadsden Sports Park.

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"The architecture and the construction is geared towards special needs children," said Kent Back, Gadsden City Council President. "This is all about the youth in Gadsden and the surrounding area and we didn't want to leave anyone out."

He believed Champions Field will be the centerpiece of the park. Phase III of the park, which includes Champions Field, could be completed as early as the end of the summer.

Parents like Pierce are appreciative of oppurtunities that allow their children to shine.

"[Lynley] impresses me every day. Just seeing her get to do this and seeing her excel at something that makes her happy, it makes my heart full," said Pierce. "She has loved it. She has come home talking about it. She practices all the time."

The school hopes to expand the Magic Panthers program to include more sports in the Fall.