Edwardsville High School Hosts Special Olympics Field Day Event
EDWARDSVILLE - Students from across Madison County came together for Unified Field Day at Edwardsville High School.
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On Friday, March 27, 2026, students who participate in Special Olympics enjoyed a morning of activities and sports. Kayla Magruder, who helps oversee Special Olympics at Edwardsville, explained that the event was a fun experience for students and teachers alike, all of whom were able to learn more about Unified sports and the opportunities available.
“The purpose is just to collaborate, be able to meet friends, but also to get that word out, like, hey, this is what Special Olympics is. This is what it can look like,” Magruder said. “It’s just really kind of spreading the word about Special Olympics and Unified and inclusion and trying to just connect all the communities together and really collaborate and be one unified front.”
Unified sports encourage students in special and general education classrooms to work together and compete on teams.
The Unified Field Day is a four-year tradition at EHS. Students from Bethalto, Roxana, Triad, Highland, Granite City, Collinsville and Alton gathered at Edwardsville High School for the event on March 27.
Throughout the morning, students could play bocce, soccer, basketball, volleyball, football and more. They also had an opportunity to race scooters and play with hula hoops and a giant parachute. Each station was operated by National Honor Society students.
The goal was to practice skills and bring students together while also demonstrating some of the Unified sports opportunities available to schools. Edwardsville’s program is expansive, and Magruder hopes that showing other districts what they can do encourages more schools to engage with Unified sports.
As a program, Unified Special Olympics allows students to participate in activities and engage with one another. Magruder emphasized the value of this inclusion.
“Inclusion is the number one thing that we strive for, just making sure that everybody’s included in everything, so that all students have the opportunity, versus just a select few,” she said. “Unified Special Olympics just makes it so much more inclusive and provides those opportunities for all students.”
She hopes the Unified Field Day was a fun event for all schools and students who participated. She looks forward to next year’s event and can’t wait to see how these programs continue to grow.
“It's definitely well-liked by everybody who attends,” she added. “We love it. It's a lot of fun.”
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