Thanks to the success of the Unified program at Silver Creek, with Forestville students joining in on the fun, Forestville hopes to bring part of what makes Silver Creek’s program so successful back to its own district.

Unified Coach Brenda Kerstetter and two Unified athletes addressed the Forestville Board of Education to request the District’s support in forming a Youth Advisory Committee to further the message of inclusion throughout the school.

Kerstetter spoke to the Board just over two weeks after Silver Creek Unified Coach and Youth Advisory Committee Advisor Janet Decker made a similar address at a Town of Hanover Board meeting to discuss the impact of the Unified program. Decker requested the Town declare the month of March as a month for inclusion. Two weeks later, the Board adopted a resolution doing just that.

Just days later, Kerstetter hoped her voice and the voices of her students would be heard by the school board just the same.

Silver Creek-Forestville Unified basketball players posed with Silver Creek’s Unified Champion School banner last May.

As a graduate of Forestville herself, Kerstetter cares deeply about the district and its students. She is a high school teacher and a coach, but it is the impact she has seen through the Unified program that motivated her to address the Board.

“The kids are just all happy to be there and to be included,” Kerstetter said.

Kerstetter spoke of how Unified sports provide students an opportunity who would not otherwise be able to play or would struggle to feel included in a traditional varsity sports setting.

“If you’ve got somebody who struggles or has a disability that prevents them from being able to dribble a basketball, they may not be able to get out on that court as much as they can through this program,” Kerstetter said.

Forestville participates in Unified basketball and bowling with Silver Creek. Kerstetter assists Silver Creek’s coaches — Decker in bowling, and Jen and Wes Johnson in basketball. Kerstetter hopes Forestville can host a Unified basketball game on its campus this season.

Brenda Kerstetter spoke to the Forestville Board of Education at a recent meeting with the hope of forming a Youth Advisory Committee to promote student leadership and inclusion throughout the district.

The Unified sports program has offered Forestville and Silver Creek students many opportunities, such as a trip to the Buffalo Bills practice facility to play flag football; a chance to play on the court of the University at Buffalo Bulls during halftime of a game; and participation in the Polar Plunge fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics. Silver Creek-Forestville raised over $13,000 this year at the Polar Plunge, where students braved chilling temperatures to dive into Lake Erie to support the Special Olympics.

Forestville students also accompanied Silver Creek to the Special Olympics Youth Leadership Summit at SUNY Fredonia, where students learned how to be more inclusive through workshops focused on unity and developing activities to better include students of all abilities.

Youth Advisory Committee would provide students an opportunity to be more involved in their school’s efforts to celebrate all students and promote inclusion throughout the district. Through the Youth Advisory Committee and similar clubs at nearby schools, Silver Creek, Dunkirk, and Fredonia have each achieved National Unified Champion School status with a banner from Special Olympics of New York. Dunkirk was the first to achieve the feat, followed by Silver Creek last May, then Fredonia shortly after.

Iris Muck, a Forestville varsity athlete and member of the Unified program, spoke to her motivation for wanting to form a Youth Advisory Committee.

“Something that would be important to me is trying to teach more of the younger children more about Unified and our program,” Muck said. “… Doing a Unified Week and trying to get more kids included is important to me before I graduate.”

Muck referenced Dunkirk’s efforts to expose students of all ages to the Unified program. She hopes Forestville can do the same.

“I think it’s important to teach those kids why we do this, and that when they come to the High School, they can be included in Unified sports,” Muck said.

Superintendent Dr. John O’Connor thanked Kerstetter and her students for their presentation. He credited Kerstetter for building the Unified program at Forestville into what it is today.