Novi High School will make history on the basketball court on Tuesday, January 30.
For the first time ever, the Wildcats will play a unified game, where high school kids of all abilities will come together to support special education students on the hardwood.
As a member school of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association, the Wildcats are proud toparticipate in the league’s inaugural six-team Project Unified basketball schedule. In partnership with Michigan Special Olympics, it is the first league-sponsored season of interscholastic athletics involving special education students participating in concert with their general education peers.
The Wildcats will play host to Brighton High School in a KLAA Gold Division tripleheader with freshmen and junior varsity tipping off at 4 p.m., and the varsity at 7 p.m.
The co-ed unified game is set for 5:30 p.m. There is a $5 admission fee for the games.
“We will play a regulation-type game against a fellow KLAA school in what we want to be anexciting environment,” Novi athletic director Brian Gordon said. “We really do want to have as manypeople there to cheer on both our kids and the kids from Brighton. This initiative is the first of its kind where schools from the same league have come together to promote educational athletics for our special-needs kids.”
According to Gordon, the Wildcats will have about 22 students, and lineups must consist of three unified student athletes and two unified student partners on the floor at all times.
Belleville, Hartland, Northville, and Plymouth are also charter members of the KLAA’s ProjectUnified.
Project Unified is just the latest special education initiative at Novi High School. This June – inconjunction with the Easterseals’ Miracle League of Michigan and the Detroit Sports Commission – the schools’ football program will host the third annual Novi Wildcats Fantasy Football Camp.