July 13, 2011
Vol 13 No 28
October 21, 2015
A team full of STARS Around Town
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School
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Classic Golf Scramble
Discovery Days Submitted photo Members of the Fort Zumwalt West STARS and their buddies, from left; back row: Sydnie Reiter, Lily Jackson, Mackenzie Mercer, Justin Ching, Jessica Bruer, Hannah Tracy, Hannah Jolly, Alex Lary; front row: Bailey Panus, Autumn Strenkowski, Michelle MacCormack, Grace Aman, Shane Murray. Not pictured: Brooke Myers and Kevin Drake.
Fort Zumwalt West STARS Dance Team gives specialneeds students a chance to shine By Brett Auten There is more to the high school experience than just what happens in the classroom. Clubs, sports, and extracurriculars also play a role in molding and forming children into young adults. At Fort Zumwalt West High School a dance team is making sure these opportunities are available to every student. The Fort Zumwalt West STARS Dance Team, sponsored by Colleen Mattie, is in its fourth year of existence. The STARS are made up of special-needs students from the school, who along with some coaching from their “buddies” of the varsity dance team, perform at football and basketball games. Decked out in uniforms and matching poms, the STARS have been a hit with the school, fans and community from day one. “When we first started, we weren’t sure how it was going to work out,” Mattie said. “But once we put the music on in our first practice, something magical came out. They learned the routine faster than we ever thought.” The STARS very first performance was at a homecoming pep rally and they promptly earned a standing ovation. “The kids gave their best and the students thought it was the coolest,” Mattie said. “We thought this would take two-three years to get rolling but we had an immediate positive reaction from day one. The Athletic Director, Paul Boschert, treated us like any other team and never left us out. It was like, it’s not a
special needs team, it’s the STARS.” Right now, the STARS team is the only one of its kind in Missouri but they have motivated other schools to look into starting their own team. Fort Zumwalt North is one school in particular who has reached out and expressed interest. The STARS, who have only performed at home games, were invited to dance this year at North. Mattie is a hearing-impaired teacher who bounces around from 12 different schools within the district. This year’s STARS team has seven members and the squad usually performs before the start of the game in football. During basketball season, the STARS are there for about half of the home games. The squad practices every Monday with their buddies to work on the moves. “Monday can be the hardest day but when we all get together we laugh hard and forget the worries of the day,” Mattie said. Grace Aman, 17, a junior on the varsity dance team, is the coach of this year’s STARS. Aman just happened to be the neighbor of Bailey Baucum, who started the STARS, with the help of Mattie, in the fall of 2011. “This is a really awesome program,” Aman said. “It’s more about the social aspect outside of school than anything.” Aman said that once you break down barriers or preconceived notions, the members of the STARS are your typical teenagers. “You get to know their personalities
and though they have disabilities they are just like any of us,” Aman said. The STARS are nearing the final half of the football season. Last week was homecoming, which is a big night at every school. And much like at every game they have performed at, the cheers and claps rained down upon them. “The kids come down to the track and high five the team members,” Mattie said. “Our kids feel that pride; they feel like they belong to the school. Their parents are seeing them do something that never would have thought in a million years they would have seen. It’s kinda cool to be apart of the STARS team.”
Recipe
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Make and take dishes
Over the fence
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It’s all about me
Movie: ‘Goosebumps’
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