Sparta Football Players 'Choose To Include'

SPARTA, NJ — Varsity junior and senior football players at Sparta High School are participating in the “Choose To Include” initiative, where they’re building relationships with special needs students in the Special Olympics and SHS Life Skills programs.

As part of that, the football team and Special Olympics and Life Skills students are scheduled to spend time together at two upcoming events.

“This initiative is just one of the many planned for the upcoming season to build and sustain fully inclusive relations between our players and our community,” the SHS Football Booster Club wrote on its Facebook Page on Sunday.

“We are excited to partner with Sparta’s largest sport program,” said Special Education Teacher and Special Olympics/Unified Head Coach, Jennifer Schock. “The combination of SHS Football and Sparta Special Olympics Unified Sports will be life changing for all involved.”

“Many Sparta students never cross paths with our student population,” Schock added. “The potential friendships and bonds that are possible will forever create a new culture of inclusion and acceptance in Sparta.”

“As a father of a child with autism, this partnership hits near to my heart,” said Sparta High School Head Football Coach Frank Marchiano. “ I would love to get to the point where inclusion is something that we don’t have to mention.”

Marchiano stressed that students with disabilities, like all kids, strive to be involved.

“As a football coach for 26 years, I have had the opportunity to work with student athletes that have been blessed in many ways,” Marchiano continued. “We will work real hard to share the blessing we have with student athletes who might not have the same opportunities.:

He expressed confidence that the Unified and Sparta Football athletes will create lasting memories together.

Sparta Superintendent Matthew Beck added that all of the students will also forge lifelong memories and friendships, through the initiative.

“The vision of Coach Marchiano, Special Olympics, and the SHSFBC to extend the ‘Choose to Include’ initiative to our football program is yet another example of how the Sparta school community is second to none when it comes to creating pathways for success for our well-rounded students,“ Beck said.

“I applaud Coach Marchiano for championing the culture of #ALLMeansALL by expanding unified sports to include football, said Board of Education member Robert Zywicki. “Since the Board's adoption in November, Sparta Unified Sports has showcased the Spartan spirit of inclusivity and brought out the best in our students, faculty, parents, and community members.”

“The Sparta Board of Education is thrilled that the UNIFIED sports program is being embraced by our entire learning community proving that the ’choose to include’ initiative is so much more than a hashtag,” said Kim Bragg, Sparta Board of Education President. “It is changing lives.”

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