By Anthony Ciano, Staff Writer
October 12, 2023
ROCKLAND- The Rockland High School Student Government Council hosted an Inclusion Walk at Veterans Memorial Stadium on September 22 to raise money for the Special Olympics Massachusetts.
The event had a great turnout as hundreds of community members gathered and together raised $2,656 dollars.
The Pathways program is the program at Rockland High School which provides academic support and help to students with learning disabilities.
This allows for students to learn at their own pace with other students at a similar pace.
As for Bulldog Buddies, it is the opportunity for students from the pathway program to partner with other students at Rockland High School to get together, attend exciting events, and make new friends.
Both the Bulldog Buddies and Pathways programs are known for their inclusion through events and community.
Pathways program director, Mr. Richard Gattine, said that he would “love to see it grow and to see more students from the whole school community get involved with the program.”
In the past, the Student Government Council has attended walks together, like the Breast Cancer Walk and St. Jude’s Walk, both in Boston.
Ava Hagan, Student Government President and Rockland senior, said that although past walks have been for other causes, “this year we decided we wanted to support our pathways program by hosting a Special Olympics walk here in Rockland.”
Not only was hosting this walk in Rockland beneficial to raising money, it also gave the ability for students from the Pathways program to attend and walk themselves with their Bulldog Buddies.
Pathways student, junior Faith Henry, said that her favorite part of the walk was “that [she] got to do a couple of laps around the field.”
With a full year ahead, Bulldog Buddies has several Unified Sports games scheduled against other local schools. Alongside this, there are also upcoming activities like Paint Night, a Holiday Party, and a bowling field trip.
Hagan said, “We are planning to host a Polar Plunge at Rockland this year so more students can get involved as well as a Unified pep rally in the spring.”