BEMIDJI — An errant shot clanked off the rim, and Kal-El Spears grabbed the rebound.
He looked toward the rim as if he was going to shoot, then brought the ball back down to his chest. The crowd at the Bemidji High حلحلآ» gymnasium looked around in confusion.
ADVERTISEMENT
When Spears grabbed the rebound, he handed the ball to Mason Molitor on the opposing team. He gave up his chance to make an easy basket.
“I liked passing to my teammates and teammates on other teams,†Spears said. “It’s about kindness. I refuse to shoot, and I want to make sure everybody gets a shot. I like Unified because I like to spread kindness and think about others. I like to put other people first. I like to make new friends.â€
Spears did it again a few plays later. He looked for the next player on the floor who hadn’t gotten their chance to score in front of a crowd of over 1,500 people.
“It was really cool to see him make sure everybody is included,†BHS senior Aiden Neadeau said. “Everybody gets to be part of this, which is why we do this. It was awesome — just incredible. This was the most packed I’ve ever seen this gym. It was great to see everybody come out and support us. It was a great time for everybody, and I hope everybody had a blast.â€
BHS hosted a pair of Unified basketball games on Wednesday night. The A team game featured players from Bemidji and Menahga, with the B squad contest taking place during halftime between two groups of Lumberjacks.
Unified teams are made up of people of similar age and ability. It’s a Special Olympics program that joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
“I love hanging out with these guys,†Neadeau said. “I consider them some of my closest friends. It’s great to come out here and hang out with them in school all the time. It teaches me how to be a better person and a more patient and understanding person. This whole thing is so important for our school.â€
ADVERTISEMENT
From the perspective of BHS Unified Director Jackie Stoffel, Spears exemplified who he is and what the second annual Unified basketball game is all about.
“I had Kal-El in elementary school,†Stoffel said. “I always say to people that when kids are little, you wonder what they’re going to do and what they’re going to accomplish. It’s cool for me to be able to teach them at a young age. Now that I’ve moved to the high school, I get to see all of the wonderful things they do as they head into adulthood.â€
The night commenced with a series of player introductions. Bemidji’s Will Duncan and Menahga’s Henry Hultberg addressed the spectators with sentiments toward inclusion and the Unified pledge.
“Tonight means more to us than we can express with words,†Duncan said to the crowd.
The game itself electrified, specifically Bemidji’s Wylie Bowman and his five made 3-pointers. Menahga’s Jordy Thomas also sank the game-winning bucket with five seconds left, sending the near-capacity crowd into pandemonium.
“This is actually the first time I’ve seen Menahga win, and that’s awesome,†Spears said. “I’ve never seen them win before. Everybody (deserves) to win.â€
Stoffel has worked in special education in the Bemidji school district for 12 years. When the Unified program started halfway through her tenure, she hoped it would be an opportunity to showcase her students’ talents on a more public level. Seeing the BHS Gymnasium draw its largest crowd of the year for the event was an emotional experience.
ADVERTISEMENT
“When Unified started here, it was just about building the awareness of it,†Stoffel said. “Last year was when the community started to get involved with the gala and the home game. They started to feel the joy that comes with Unified. It was great to see an even bigger crowd come out tonight than we had last year. I think it’s only going to grow from here.â€
Special Olympics Minnesota announced that Bemidji, a Unified Champion حلحلآ», has received national banner recognition for its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities. BHS earned this distinguished status before the Unified basketball game by meeting 10 national standards of excellence in inclusion, advocacy and respect.
“When you see them presenting their national banner, you just see how hard they worked and how special it is when they get to show that off,†Stoffel said. “For me, it’s fun to sit back and watch them become leaders. … The best part of my job is getting to watch these kids shine. I get to see a lot of wonderful things in school, but one of my favorite parts is watching other people watch them so they get to see what I see in them.â€
Despite his notion to pass first, Spears got his basket in the first half. He followed up his mid-range shot by pointing to the ice in his veins as he looked toward the BHS student section.
“I looked like LeBron James,†Spears said with a big smile.
The Trust Project
