6 minute read
Unified basketball squad brings people together
Continuing Her Story: GAIL PRESTON’S NEXT CHAPTER
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Gail Preston has cycled all around the world. Her adventures have taken her to places like New Zealand where she spent weeks touring the country by bicycle. In fact, cycling is how she found her second love in Bud, her husband. As part of a local cyclist club they found a new adventure in each other after becoming widowed.
Together they would cycle just two miles away from Anthology of Northville at Hines Drive Park once a day for years. They both received medals for 3,000 miles logged in a year! Gail’s passion has passed down to her granddaughter, Hannah, where they crossed the lower peninsula twice with “Pedal Across Lower Michigan” organization.
Her and Bud moved into Anthology of Northville just after it opened in August. You can spot her car with the bike rack as she still enjoys rides on Hines Drive. Her ride into senior living, not much di erent from many other rides, have led to new life long relationships. “My goal is to make others feel comfortable here, it’s scary when you fi rst move. God put me here to spread joy to my neighbors and be part of a new adventure.”
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A Real Team Effort Northville Unified basketball squad brings school community together
Story by Brad Emons | Photos by Bill Bresler
When the Northville Unified basketball team hits the court, there’s a lot of love to go around.
You could definitely feel that at the Kensington Lakes Activities Association’s recent Unified Tournament held at Novi High School, where general education students serve as peers for their special education classmates. It’s a team effort all the way around. It’s a lot like the movie Top Gun where Eleanor Knight, a member of Northville’s varsity volleyball team, relies on her own personal wingman in Yushan Zhang, a special education student who serves as her Maverick.
“I try to teach Yushan to play good defense and play defense like she’s hugging someone. Put her arms out like she’s going to
hug someone,” Knight said. Northville concluded its Unified season 4-1, and won the third place game against Livonia Churchill in the 10-team KLAA tournament.
“I love being here. It’s
amazing to work with them and see what they’re able to do,” Knight said. “They really listen to you, get attached to the words you say. They get a lot out of it and I get a lot out of it, too. I enjoy being around them and they’re truly great kids. They work really hard in practices.”
Special Olympics of Michigan has taken its hoops program to the high school ranks. It has grown to more than 60 schools from across the state. Northville’s program is in its third season. The KLAA has showcased its Unified program before enthusiastic and large crowds prior to varsity boys and girls basketball games this season.
“It’s awesome and what it’s done for the whole school community,” said Northville head coach Kelsey Mikiciuk, who teaches special education at the high school. “It just really brings everybody together. It’s crazy because I have kids that have played all three years, so they started as freshman and now they are juniors, and they
know how to play the game, so they actually can get into the logistics of defense and offense, and where to go on the floor. It’s crazy to see the advances they’ve made in three years.” The Mustangs sharpened their skills by practicing one to two times per week. They played a five-game conference schedule before the seasonending conference tourney. The ratio is three special needs athletes to two partners on the court during games. And the Northville players get plenty of mentoring and coaching. Mikiciuk has a staff of five including Stacy Katikos, Shaun Dicken, Sabrina Palumbo, Jill Anderson and Teryn Chrzanwoski.
The peer players wear the odd numbered jerseys, while the special ed players don the even numbered jerseys.
The general education peer students who volunteered their time this season included Clara Crabb, Maya Hamati, Kaia Counts, Avery Ferguson, Luke Tardich, Adam Saghir, Livvy Setla, Jackson Weedmark, Dev Shah, Anna McGowan, Zoe Lee, Silvia Robazza, Mia Dyson, Nolan Lysagnt and Knight.
This year’s Northville squad included special education players Cecilia Richard, Caden Williams, Jake Ramseyer, Adrian Susanto, William Bros, Jeffrey Li, Takuma Ono, Kristian Anderson and Zhang.
“This is my first year doing it, and I love it,” said mentor Adam Saghir, who was a member of Northville’s football team. “It makes you feel good and it’s something I’d like to do more often. I have Will (Bros) in gym class. Me and him shoot hoops all the time, so I got to get really close with him, along with Takuma (Ono) and Adrian (Susanto) . . . all those kids are really nice.”
During the KLAA Unified Tourney, Bros showed off some of his Harlem Globetrotter skills, as he performed his own Curly Neal impersonation. “He has a special trick that he likes to do and he’s good at it,” Knight said.
In this year’s KLAA tourney final, Brighton edged Belleville for the title on a three-point shot at the buzzer.
Winning is important, but it’s the relationships, friendships and camaraderie that really sets the KLAA Unified basketball program apart.
“I see all the benefits that my students are gaining by learning how to play a sport,” Mikiciuk said. “It’s something that I learned growing up playing a sport and being part of a team, and a lot of them haven’t. So this is their first team experience, learning how to work with others. It’s so cool.”
The bond formed this season between Zhang and her peer mentor Knight is priceless. While being interviewed during the KLAA tourney, Zhang was asked what it takes to become a better basketball player. She didn’t hesitate with her answer. “Defensing, hugging… they’re fun,” she said.
NORTHVILLE
MUSTANGS
3/25/20 Hartland HS (DH) HOME 4:00 PM 3/28/20 Livonia Stevenson HS (DH) AWAY 11:00 AM 4/2/20 Livonia Churchill HS HOME 4:30 PM 4/13/20 Fordson HS HOME 4:30 PM 4/15/20 Howell HS (DH) HOME 4:00 PM 4/17/20 Dearborn High School AWAY 4:30 PM 4/18/20 Adlai E. Stevenson HS (DH) AWAY 11:00 AM 4/20/20 Wayne Memorial HS HOME 4:30 PM 4/22/20 Canton HS (DH) AWAY 4:00 PM 4/24/20 Belleville HS AWAY 4:30 PM 4/25/20 Woodhaven HS/MS (DH) AWAY 12:00 PM 4/29/20 Novi HS (DH) AWAY 4:00 PM 5/2/20 Saline HS (DH) HOME 11:00 AM 5/6/20 Plymouth HS (DH) AWAY 4:00 PM 5/9/20 Lake Orion HS (DH) HOME 11:00 AM 5/11/20 Salem HS (DH) HOME 4:00 PM 5/14/20 Brighton HS (DH) HOME 4:00 PM 5/16/20 Chelsea HS (Armed Forces Day) HOME 11:00 AM 5/16/20 Lakeland HS (Armed Forces Day) HOME 1:30 PM 5/19/20 KLAA Cross-Over (DH) HOME 4:00 PM 5/22/20 Flint Tournament AWAY TBA 5/23/20 Flint Tournament AWAY TBA 2020 Varsity Baseball Schedule
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