SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WTVF) — A lot of us have great memories of our high school pep rallies, featuring traditions unique to only our school. It’s hard to imagine a better pep rally than the one held at Summit High Wednesday.
It was during pep rally preparations at Summit High that I happened to meet two students who just seemed especially excited about what was about to happen.
AJ Sefton and Mohammed Kareem wore wide grins as they practiced basketball plays in the locker room. At Summit High, they’re in the unified sports program, which is connected to the Special Olympics. Through the unified sports program, the athletes have student mentors like Morgan Farris and Kenzington McConathy.
“The atmosphere is really fun,” Farris said, sitting next to Sefton. “Everyone gets super hyped!”
“I’ve been doing this since my freshman year, and I’m a junior now,” said McConathy, sitting next to Kareem.
Practice was underway for something that was not just any high school pep rally. In fact, basketball player Joel Coverston told me this is something of a new Summit High tradition.
“I think it’s awesome,” he nodded. “It’s a special moment for all of us, the whole school, the team, something I look forward to every year, y’know.”
Just before the pep rally, Kareem peeked outside the locker room.
“It was crowded and everyone was yelling!” he remembered.
That’s right, the whole student body had come together for an event to remember.
One by one, athletes in the unified sports program ran to a crowd of cheerleaders and basketball players and dunked a basketball. The band would play them out as the student body cheered.
This was the third year Summit High’s done the Slam Dunk pep rally event for the athletes in the unified sports program. Summit’s now one of nine schools in Tennessee to get a National Unified Champion School recognition from the Special Olympics. ESPN has added Summit to their honor roll for Unified Champion schools.
“Every school should be doing something like this,” Coverston said. “It was super special cause when I’m getting ready for a game, and I’m coming out of that tunnel, it’s the most exciting feeling in the world, and scoring that basket is so much fun. I can only imagine what it must be like for them. It’s awesome we get to lift them up and put them on top of the world for the day.”
The time had come for Kareem to close out the pep rally. He leaped in the air and dunked a basketball to the roar of the crowd.
“Oh, he thrived!” McConathy smiled.
“It was awesome,” Coverston agreed. “I love to see that.”
“It’s just so exciting to see everyone come together and cheer on everyone,” Farris said.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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