SAMMAMISH, Wash. — On Thursday night, students, parents, teachers and staff packed the stands at Skyline High School. The Skyline Shooting Stars faced off against the Eastlake High School Unified Basketball Team. The game gives students with special needs to chance to shine and be cheered on by their classmates.
Alisa and Kevin Chow said their daughter, Kaela, started off not knowing how to dribble. She made several shots at Thursday's game.
"She's been doing this for three years and she's gotten better," Alisa Chow said.
"This is all about inclusion and acceptance," Kevin Chow said.
Seeing the impact the basketball games have had on their daughter, the couple called them the most important part of their daughter's high school career.
"Having special needs kids is a little harder, so having this community support really helps us," Alisa said.
Mathew Taylor, a longtime Skyline staffer and organizer of the games, said they came about organically around 10 years ago, an offshoot of the culture in the school. Taylor said at Skyline High, students with special needs are included in all the school activities, not separated and siloed.
"Sports are just a great avenue to bring people together," Taylor said. "These students are just like everybody else, they just have different challenges. I think it teaches our students, too, not only inclusion, but that everybody has a different identity."
Students without special needs help train and cheer on their classmates like Kaela, assisting them on the court.
"This school, and I think many other schools, are doing such a great job, bringing these kids to the forefront and making the whole student body aware of the special needs community," Kevin said. "These students in this school will take this out in the world when they graduate and I think they will make the world a better place."
Thursday's game almost hit triple-digits. Skyline bested Eastlake 94 to 90.