Foxboro High fields first unified basketball team

Foxboro High School’s newly formed unified basketball team, which has a mix of players with and without intellectual disabilities, had a heated game against Attleboro High’s unified team on last Wednesday afternoon. A total of 10 students are currently on the Foxboro High School’s team.

Diane Galanti, a special-education teacher at Foxboro High, said she was thrilled to see the unified basketball team in action.

“It makes me happy that our kids are included. This is great for the kids. They get to play with their peers and they get to play with other teams. We have support from the crowds. It's a good day for Foxboro,” Galanti said.

Becky Marcoux’s son, Ryan, who has Down Syndrome and started his freshman year at Foxboro High this September, is excited to be part of the team.

"This is huge," Becky Marcoux said. "This is Ryan's first year (at Foxboro High) and the appearance of all of these typical students and the cheerleaders and having them treat this like a real home opener means the world. I think we're just so lucky that we've gotten into this league that Foxboro can produce and play with other teams in this area."

Marcoux brought several special guests to cheer on her son’s team, including Dianna Parr, preschool coordinator, and Beane, the preschool special-needs teacher, who was watching with tears in her eyes. Parr and Beane work at Burrell Elementary School and know all of the athletes well.

Beane said it's wonderful to see expanding opportunities for special-needs students to be integrated with their peers, just as they were back in preschool.

Athletic director Joe Cusack said the basketball program started only a month ago, but it’s not the first time Foxboro High has fielded a unified team -- the school also has a unified track team in the spring.

“It's awesome to have these partner athletes volunteer who are playing basketball on our varsity team. So it's great to have them out there competing on the same court with everybody. It's fantastic," Cusack said.

During the game on the court side, Jon Gibbs, who coaches both the unified team and boys’ varsity basketball, said it was great to see the students having so much fun on the court.

"They are learning about the game of basketball, they are building confidence and just having a great time. It's also great to see the school come out and support them and cheer them on, and that really makes them feel great about themselves. We are all just happy to be a part of it,” he said. “I think everyone learns from each other in an experience like this and it builds a lot of community and camaraderie around.”

While the team is small now, Gibbs hopes the program’s popularity will grow as time goes on.

Laura Niedbala, one of the coaches for Attleboro High’s team, said the school has had a unified basketball team for several years.

"It's fun. We love watching them play. They have a great time and they look forward to it. So it means a lot to us that we get to be here and coach them," she said.

Foxboro High School principal James Donovan said the school works hard to create an inclusive environment, and unified programs offer that in ways that other athletic programs don't.

"It's an incredible asset to our school," said Donovan. "It is an incredible experience for athletes which gives an opportunity for all of our kids to work together and play.”

During the game, Ryan LeClair, a Foxboro High senior who plays on the varsity basketball team, said it feels great to give kids a good experience.

"We had a good practice the other day. We tried to come here and have a good game. It's going well already with all the fans," LeClair said.