Ten who dared

Ten Helena Flats eighth-graders will never be the same after a spontaneous skip day in April.

Prompted earlier in the week by student council parent adviser Christina Williams, the students planned to volunteer at the Special Olympics, held April 27 in Kalispel. Williams' son, Cameron, had competed in the games before, and she knew firsthand how extraordinary the Special Olympics could be - for volunteers and competitors alike.

"We heard about it and thought it would be totally awesome for our class to go," student council Vice President Kaitlyn Turner said.

The field trip originally was planned as a community-service project for student council members, Williams said. However, because it was scheduled at the last minute, the school was unable to secure a bus to take the youths to the games.

The school's insurance policy stipulated that parents couldn't drive students on a school-sanctioned trip, so school officials had to cancel it.

"We were pretty much all bummed out," Turner said.

Williams, however, wasn't willing to let the idea die without a fight - and neither were the youths. The night before the event, several students asked her what they could do.

She told them, "You guys do have a voice. If you feel something so heartily, you guys can change. You guys can change the results."

Because her son was participating in the games, Williams planned to go no matter what. Several students, not all of them student council members, discussed it with their parents and decided they would go as well, even though they had classes all day.

"They went against the grain, against the principal, and they boycotted it," Williams said.

The students had parents sign consent letters explaining their absences, and Williams took them to the games. Turner, as well as classmates Loren Rodgers, Joe McGee, Tajia Hintz, Aly Olsen, Hailey McLain, Annalisa Iavicoli, Kelsey Komar, Karlley Tucker and Sariah Marsh, volunteered.

"We thought it was an important cause," said Rodgers, a booster on student council. "It wasn't like we were just skipping school.

"It was something we were doing for the Flathead. It was something we were doing for Kalispell."

Because of that, he added, he wasn't worried about being punished for skipping school.

"It's not like we were ditching to go to the mall or anything," he said. "We were helping people out."

The students were "greatly appreciated," Williams said, as the event was short of volunteers. Six students helped assemble more than 250 sack lunches for the athletes. Others worked as timers, and everyone cheered loudly for the competitors.

They were there just a few hours, but that was all it took to shake up the students' lives for good, Williams said.

"Not one child was not touched there," she said. "It really changed these 10 kids' lives."

Turner, who worked as a cheerer, agreed. She stood by the side of the running track and cheered for bike riders, runners and baseball throwers.

"The smiles on their faces made it all worthwhile," she said. "They don't care whether they win or lose."

She particularly was impressed with a woman named Chrissy, who has Down syndrome.

"She was a total inspiration," Turner said. "She wants to be treated like a normal person. She wants people to see her for her heart and her mind, not for her disability."

Rodgers, who was a timer for the 25- and 50-meter dashes, was inspired by a volunteer named Nancy, who worked as a recorder.

"It was good to have someone who knew what they were doing," he said. "And even though she was volunteering, you knew that it was like a job to do and something that she liked to do."

Kalispell Mayor Pam Kennedy was at the games. When she heard about the Helena Flats volunteers, she sought them out and thanked each of them.

"The icing on the cake [for the students] was being thanked by the mayor," Williams said.

Williams' voice choked with emotion when she expressed her pride in their decisions.

"I thought it was amazing that they just all decided to do this," she said. "Most eighth-graders don't want to do this stuff."

These students, however, were not ready to leave when the games were over.

"By the time we had to say our goodbyes, several of the students were in tears, not wanting to leave and go back to school," Williams wrote in an e-mail to the Inter Lake. "In three short hours … these 10 students learned more about humanity and random acts of kindness [than] they could have ever in school."

Some were nervous during the trip back to Helena Flats.

"I was a little scared that we'd get in trouble," Turner admitted. "But after we came back and our teachers heard our stories, they were all proud that we went."

Teachers gave the 10 volunteers opportunities to share stories about their experiences with their classmates.

"At the end of the day, we told them how we felt about it, how it made us feel about how lucky we are," Rodgers said. "They thought it was great. They thought it was a neat thing to do."

He and Turner agreed they want to volunteer with Special Olympics again.

"I thought it was a great experience, just being there and seeing how people acted and the reaction from just cheering someone on," Rodgers said. "That little bit of spirit gave them heart.

"It was like you were reaching into their heart. You could tell that they just felt something there.

"It made you feel so good."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.