INDIANAPOLIS — On Thursday, hundreds of Indianapolis Public Schools students took over IUPUI's Carroll Stadium for the third annual "Unified Field Day."
It was the first-of-its-kind event that brought together multiple schools for a day of inclusive fun and sports through the Special Olympics Indiana's "Unified Champion City Schools" initiative.
"We had over 300 children out here today representing about 12 schools," said Cortnei Flucas, the IPS unified student support officer.
Those students participated in several activities including track and field events, soccer and relay races.
"We are just coming and helping them and making sure they feel like normal kids, and that's who they are," said Mareo Harris, an eighth grader at Arlington Middle School.
"Everyone has their own special, unique thing about themselves, but it doesn't them any different than anybody else because we are all the same," said Char'Lee Murphy, a seventh grader at Arlington Middle School.
Chris Akers with Special Olympics said it's a powerful way to showcase and empower young athletes.
"It's all about inclusion and today really showed that these children can come out from all these different schools and all sides of town and really become a unified city and that's what we are looking for," Akers said.
Each student also received a medal at the end of the event.
"I hope that they will look back at that little trinket and think about the time where their needs and their desires were prioritized over everything else," Flucas said.