Glenbrook High Schools Debut First-Ever Special Olympics Team

The Special Olympics has started a new chapter in the Glenbrook school system.

The man leading the charge is Pa'al Joshi, veteran special education teacher at Glenbrook's off-campus site and now the district's Special Olympics athletic director.

"I was shocked that Glenbrook didn't have Special Olympics," Joshi said. "To me, it was an easy fix."

Joshi will organize four Special Olympic teams this year with the help of a $2,000 grant from the Glenbrook Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated  to supporting District 225 schools. He hopes to expand the offering of volleyball, basketball, track and soccer to include bowling and softball next summer.

The Glenbrook United squads will get jerseys featuring colors from all three district schools. Joshi has already garnered a lot of interest from parents and would-be athletes eager to put on the uniform.

Mary Beth Manso, a school nurse at Glenbrook North, has twin boys who will participate on Glenbrook United. Manso said she was glad the district finally started the program because it would give her sons, Ryan and Sean, the opportunity to stay healthy and meet new friends.

Like Joshi, she thinks the program will benefit the mentors just as much as her sons.

"People who are not handicapped will have a new understanding for people with special needs," Manso said. "It makes you more appreciative of the people who are not able to do the things you or I can do."

Ten children have signed up for the volleyball team, which has a Sept. 10 scrimmage with their Hersey High School counterparts. On Sept. 16, the team will hold its first home practice and game with the Glenbrook South girls' volleyball team.

"It is a good learning experience, not just for the athletes, but for the peer mentors," Joshi said. "You learn to share and grow together. Maybe when you see that person in the hallway, to have an athlete say 'Hi' to them is a pretty big deal."

Everyone helping with the program is doing so on a volunteer basis. All the money donated to Glenbrook United goes directly to support the children and provide equipment, transportation and other functions for the squads, Joshi said.

More and more students will get involved as the year goes on, said Jennifer Pearson, the district's director of special education since July.

"This is a great opportunity for our kids, our students and for the community members to get involved," she said. "This is the part of the job I really enjoy."

It is not only the athletes and the mentors who will learn from the experience, but the coaches as well, said Joshi, who has worked with the Special Olympics for eight years.

"As a person from the outside, I hope the kids learn from me, but I learn more from these kids," Joshi said. "I think you become a better parent and observer of how someone feels."

Ryan Manso, 18, a senior at Glenbrook North, says he is excited to get involved with the different sports and meet new people. He is also looking forward to getting a chance to win a medal.

"This might start off slow, but eventually we will pick up steam," Joshi said after he noted the benefits of the program to the community. "We are winning just by playing."