Recently at the Busti Volunteer Fire Department, Drake and his wife, Coach Karen Drake, joined more than 20 unified sports athletes and their peer partners to celebrate the third anniversary of JHS’s Unified Sports Program. The event also recognized the student-athletes and their partners for their many achievements throughout the year.

During the event, Ben Drake expressed his gratitude to Dr. Kevin J. Whitaker, the school superintendent, and the entire school board for their steadfast support of the United Sports Program. He also acknowledged the accomplishments of the various teachers, coaches, and student-athletes during the 2024-2025 school year.

Drake said that many of the students play multiple sports, which has helped the school district field various teams.

According to .specialolympics.org, Unified Sports promotes social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. In Unified Sports, teams are composed of individuals of similar age and ability. That makes practice more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. Having sports in common is just one more way that preconceptions and false notions are dispelled.

Jamestown High School’s Unified Sports Teams held a banquet to celebrate their successes for the 2024-2025 school year. The event honored the athletes, their partner athletes, and coaches on Thursday at the Busti Volunteer Fire Department..

Each member was honored with an award letter, a medal symbolizing their success and a soft sweatshirt emblazoned with the program’s logo.

Some of the awardees include:

– Brendon Brightman – New York State Section 6, Unified Character Athlete of the Year Award, and Jamestown Unified Athlete of The Year.

– Levi Blakeslee – Unified Sports Newcomer of the Year Award.

– Lauren Prynn- Partner of the Year Award.

In conclusion, Karen Drake, the head coach for both basketball and bowling, emphasized that the success of the Unified Sports program would not be attainable without the dedicated partner athletes who collaborate with Unified Sports students throughout the year.

Graduating senior JHS partners include Addison Zahn, Onalee Nellis, Bella Lisciandro, and Lauren Prynn.