The Copper Country Intermediate School District Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020.

Maren Rouleau, Copper Country ISD Special Education teacher shared with the board an event that took place last week. Hancock High School held its first ever Special Olympics Unified Basketball game on Feb. 13 in front of a crowd that was comprised of fellow students, community members, Finlandia and Michigan Tech coaches and athletes, and local authorities. Hancock High School just recently became a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. Special Olympics Unified Champions Schools is an education-based project that uses the sports and education programs of Special Olympics to promote school communities where all young people are agents of change; fostering respect, dignity, and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics believes that through sports, young people can make a difference in friendships, schools, and communities.

Two teams made up of the Unified Athletes (students who receive special education services through the CCISD and Hancock High School) and Unified Partners (general education students from Hancock High School) took the floor to play a friendly, but competitive basketball game. The game had all the features of a high school basketball game, including the band, cheerleaders, a large crowd and referees.

Ms. Rouleau shared with the board the overall success and excitement from the day’s event. To see how the whole student body and community as a whole came out to support the students made the day very special. Ms. Rouleau said there is hope to schedule a future game with another Unified team in the U.P., possibly a team from the Escanaba area. The board thanked Ms. Rouleau and all those involved in making this event a big success.

In other action, the Board:

Hired Temporary CTE Coordinator, Joseph Zerbst