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WHEREAS, Brashear High School won the first PIAA Interscholastic Unified Track and Field Invitational on May 23 and 24 at Shippensburg University; and,
WHEREAS, Brashear and Taylor Allderdice High Schools participated in Special Olympics Pennsylvania Interscholastic Unified Sports for the first time this season; and,
WHEREAS, Director of Special Education Donna Westbrooks Martin led the effort to create the partnership between Special Olympics Unified Sports and Pittsburgh Public Schools; and,
WHEREAS, Taylor Topelas and Michael Bobak led the Unified Track and Field Teams at Brashear and Allderdice High Schools, and more than 35 students participated during this past school-year; and,
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh Public Schools intends to expand the presence of Unified Sports by both establishing the program in more schools throughout the City and by adding additional sports to the program; and,
WHEREAS, Unified Sports helps facilitate social inclusion by bringing together students with and without disabilities to participate in sports, creating an opportunity for attitudes to change, transformations to occur, and lifelong friendships to occur, both on and off of the playing field.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend the efforts of Donna Westbrooks Martin, Michael Bobak, and Taylor Topelas for establishing the Special Olympics Unified Sports program in Pittsburgh Public Schools, and does hereby recognize the achievement of Brashear High School in winning the first ever PIAA Interscholastic Unified Track and Field Invitational; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare July 28, 2015 to be “Pittsburgh Public Schools Unified Sports Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.