Campbell Footballers Tackle Homecoming Volunteer Work
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usWhen Campbell High School special education instructor Barbara Temple sought a handful of volunteers to expose her students to their peers during home-coming week preparations, she asked the football team first. The response was as overwhelming as the Sabers’ defensive line has been on the football field.
“We started with four, and we ended up with 20 after word got around,” said Wyatt Tau, an educational assistant in the special ed department and an assistant coach on Amosa Amosa’s staff. “I didn’t recruit. I wanted them to come out on their own, and it was real gratifying for us. They all wanted to be a part of it. They all got involved.”
Said Temple, who has worked in the school’s medical-fragile program since 1988: “I only wanted five young men, but they were such well-mannered young men that they all came out consistently. It was nice to see. They showed empathy for them, but they didn’t handicap them by doing everything for them, either.”
For much of the last three weeks, Temple’s students spent their lunch periods preparing homecoming banners for last week’s festivities with the aid of the football volunteers. The interaction also gave the players an opportunity to see how fortunate they are to be able to communicate so freely.
“At first, both groups were sort of sizing each other up,” Temple laughed.“It was a two-way street, but something clicked (between the groups). I have students with special needs. They are developmentally delayed and have multiple needs and medical needs. A lot of them are non-verbal, so they do not communicate like you and I do.
“They use facial gestures, physical gestures, or assisted technological devices. To communicate with them, you have to spend time with them to understand them. I was surprised they wanted to see it through to the end. They included our kids and accepted them as they are. One of the other (assistant football) coaches came down and was surprised to see which of his kids had volunteered.
He teared up a bit.”
Among the six who interacted with the players is a student with cerebral palsy, who is able to walk only short distances.
“He can do some walking, but it takes every ounce of strength to lift up his leg,” Temple explained. “He walked a few feet in front of them, and I think that made an impression on them. That’s a scholarship winner for us. (Coach) Wyatt asked them at one point, “Do you guys know now why I expect so much from you every day?’”
When the program ended, Temple and her students had a luncheon for the football volunteers.
“We thanked them for what they did. Hopefully, when they walked out, they took a part of us with them as well. We continue to see some of them - they stop by and say hello.”
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