An assembly at Lenihan Intermediate School on Thursday aimed to celebrate Marshalltown’s Special Olympians and inform students of the recently-restarted program and how they can help.

Fifth and sixth graders attended the program in the Lenihan gymnasium, which included Lenihan’s own Special Olympians Carter Gabriel, Max Naumann, Addison Padilla Fuentes, Allison Padilla Fuentes, Ayub Khan, and Tony Martinez Gomez, who was absent on Thursday. They will be part of the Marshalltown Special Olympics group from the town’s schools that will compete at the Spring Classic state basketball event in the Iowa City/Coralville area on March 9.

Marshalltown’s Danielle Deahl, a Global Messenger for the Special Olympics, spoke to the students about the impact the Special Olympics has had on her life.

“My favorite memories are hanging out with friends and meeting friends from all over the state,” Deahl said. “It has helped me grow as a person and not be so afraid.”

Deahl has been very active with the Special Olympics, competing in bowling, track and field, swimming and dance, the latter of which she said was her favorite as it is good for her health. She’s also participated in the group’s Polar Plunge, an event that raises funds for Special Olympics by sponsoring people who take a dip in some frigid waters.

“I hope that you will get involved so you can meet other friends,” Deahl said to the students in attendance. “You will not regret it, because if I did not have this in my life, it wouldn’t be fun.”

Susan Arifi and Madyson Sodders, special education teachers with Lenihan and the high school, respectively, have stepped forward to volunteer their help to restart the Special Olympics program that Arifi estimated had been dormant for over a decade.

Work is also underway to establish Lenihan as a Unified Champion School through Special Olympics Iowa, allowing for opportunities for students to volunteer with a unified club and as unified athletes that can compete with Special Olympians in various events – one example Arifi mentioned was a relay race where student-athletes of all ability levels can pass the baton around the track.

The approval process delayed the program’s reboot until after winter break but they’ve hit the ground running, with a total of 15 basketball athletes and eight cheerleaders, four of which will be unified partners, heading to the Spring Classic next week and 30 athletes signed up from elementary to high school for the summer program in track and field, soccer and bocce ball, a group that includes William Smith Martin, who was in attendance on Thursday.

Volunteers at Lenihan include Matt Butler, Hannah Ramirez, Daisy Lopes, Adriana Madrigal, Lauren Bottom and Pam Hugen.

The pep rally also got students excited for the upcoming Inclusion Week, which will feature dress-up days and a door decorating contest as the various educational “neighborhoods” at the school will compete for incentives like a popcorn party or an extra recess.

A banner will also be available for the children to sign as a pledge to treat everyone with respect.

Peer helper Jake Loupee also spoke about his friends in the Bobcat Den, shouting them out one by one on Thursday.

“If you see one of my friends, say hi,” Loupee said. “They are some of the friendliest people you will meet.”

Volunteers of all ages are welcome to email Susan Arifi at sarifi@marshalltown.k12.ia.us for more information on how they can help.