Life skills students benefit from Partners in PE

The program is creating stronger student relationships at William Penn Elementary School.

William Penn Elementary School Principal Dr. Brad Simala  recently gave a presentation to the Elizabeth Forward school board about Partners in Physical Education.

Physical education teacher Michael Sikorski started the program at the end of last school year, pairing fifth-grade regular education students with students with special needs students. This year, there were nine life skills students involved.

“Partners in PE, for those that don’t know, we have it at the high school, and we also have it in the middle school, but no one tried it at the elementary,” Simala said. “So we figured let’s try it. While they were a part of the building, the regular classes didn’t get to see them for who they were as kids. So we thought this is a great way to introduce them to the building.”

The idea of Partners in PE is when they have a gym class every five days, they would have five special needs students who rotated into that class.

Simala said the pairings evolved from a mentoring relationship the being friends, and it happened pretty quickly. He added that the regular education students gained more from the experience than the special education students did.

Simala said the program makes all children feel included while teach- ing kindness, cooperation and leadership. It also gets the special needs students acclimated to the building, while building knowledge and skills and shaping character and mindset.

“I became an educator because of Special Olympics,” Simala said. “That was something, to me, that I have never forgotten. So I wanted to give back, and I wanted to have our regular education kids experience something like that, and this was a great opportunity to do it.”

All the students involved also go on field trips every month, including the children’s museum, restaurants, Washington Wild Things games and more. They also do something called brain breaks and assemblies.

The Partners in PE become part of the program through an application process. Everyone who applies gets into the program, according to Simala, but they had to present a three-minute video or a written application.

There is also a Partners in Art program with fourth-grade students that is similar, and if they want to be in Partners in PE next year, they can be in the program.

Once they are admitted to the program, they have to maintain their grades, have proper behavior, attendance and adhere to expectations, according to Simala, and if they mess up, they let their new friends down. He said that keeps them coming to the building every single day.

“We want our kids to feel included, and everyone here has been to school,” Simala said. “You know that kids that are successful in school, they are part of the building. As long as you are part of that school, you are going to be successful. This is an opportunity to get kids at the elementary level involved in their school, be connected to their building.”