Fifth annual event at SBHS expands beyond county borders into
south Santa Clara county
The Hollister-Gilroy rivalry is adding another layer this spring
as organizers of San Benito High School’s Baler Gifted Games are
inviting Gilroy schools to compete in the fifth annual event for
students with disabilities.
From its humble beginnings as a three-day, in-house event for
SBHS Life Skills students, the event continues to expand after
becoming a countywide event in which 75 students of various ages
participated last year.
Fifth annual event at SBHS expands beyond county borders into south Santa Clara county
The Hollister-Gilroy rivalry is adding another layer this spring as organizers of San Benito High School’s Baler Gifted Games are inviting Gilroy schools to compete in the fifth annual event for students with disabilities.
From its humble beginnings as a three-day, in-house event for SBHS Life Skills students, the event continues to expand after becoming a countywide event in which 75 students of various ages participated last year.
“We’re targeting 150 kids from preschool to high school,” said Mona Trevino, a Life Skills teacher and an organizer of the Gifted Games. “We thank the community that we’re able to get to a point so we can invite another district to the event.”
Last year the games were held at Andy Hardin Field for the first time, as Life Skills students from all K-12 schools in the county were invited to attend and compete. An estimated 2,000 people attended the event, including a number of high school students whose teachers brought them out to the track to cheer on the athletes.
“It’s going to be bigger this year,” Trevino said of the May 14 event. “We’re looking forward to it. Our community at San Benito High School supports what we do by bringing their classrooms out. By them embracing our kids they are bringing awareness to a part of our campus that doesn’t always receive it.”
Life Skills teacher Tania DeLeon said the response from the community – from students to staff to volunteers – “was amazing to see.”
Donations from businesses and individuals help support the Gifted Games. Last year local restaurants provided lunches for participants and staff and stores gave discounts on supplies and donated hot dogs to sell at the snack bar and offered fruit and water for the participants.
Donors and volunteers are being sought to help with this year’s event, which is open to the public and does not charge admission.
Debbie Toups, director of student services for the Gilroy Unified School District, said she expects special education students from all district schools to participate in the event.
“We’re working with San Benito to provide a great experience for all of our kids,” she said.
Gilroy is still raising funds to provide competitors with T-shirts and to bus competitors to Hollister, Trevino said, noting that donations from last year are helping to offset some of those costs.
Trevino said she and other organizers “are really excited to have Gilroy come out this year. It’ll give our kids something to compete against.”
Previous Gifted Games events have included a mile run, 50- and 100-meter dashes, wheelchair races, “turbo jav” throws and a softball throw.
Students in Dave Tari’s advanced sports medicine class meet with local schools and teachers to develop training schedules for the athletes and assist the athletes on the day of the competition.
