'Courage, Joy, Dignity': Lakeside High School Hosts Special Olympics

Nearly 500 special needs student athletes turned out Friday at Lakeside High School to participate in the 4th Annual School Games, which saw a year of hard work culminate in medals won and self-esteem boosted.

The Games, hosted by the school in partnership with Special Olympics of Southern California, Inland Empire, featured 1,000 track and field events that began at 8 a.m. and wrapped up around noon.

In addition to the student athletes, thousands of family, friends, community leaders, educators, law enforcement, and fire officials were all on hand.

"Each year it has built in attendance, both in the number of student athletes and also in the number of fans and supporters who come out to join us for the day," said Mark Dennis, spokesman for the Lake Elsinore Unified School District.

Lakeside High School has been hosting the Games since 2010, and Bill Shumard, president and CEO of the Special Olympics of Southern California, commended the district.

"The LEUSD has stepped up to provide an absolute perfect model of how to execute this program as a partner to Special Olympics."

Special Olympics is the world's largest sport's organization for people with intellectual disabilities, Shumard explained. While the Games are designed to hoist atheletes' confidence up, there is much more to it, he said.

"People get involved because they think they're helping the athlete, when actually what happens, the athlete helps us. In watching the courage, the dignity, the joy -- it brings more balance and perspective, and a little bit of humility to our lives," Shumard said.

The Games also offer an opportunity for the district's regular student body to volunteer and participate in a way that opens young minds and encourages integration, Shumard continued.

"It provides more inclusion, more acceptance, more diversity, more understanding, less bullying. It works well on a number of levels."

Curtis Anderson, 11, attends Wildomar-based Sycamore Academy of Science and Cultural Arts. As an athlete in Friday's Games, Curtis happily shared his long-jump results and his relay race experience.

"Those people I run with are my friends," he said.

"His confidence level is like here," his mother Danette explained, as she raised her hand skyward.

The camaraderie, self-esteem and working in a group are valuable tools Curtis receives as part of Special Olympics, she shared.

Curtis's father Harold said the discipline and reliance on teammates help his son in many ways.

"I'm proud, I'm very proud of him." --Toni McAllister contributed to this report.