Special Olympics
ABOUT SPECIAL OLYMPICS:
The 2020-2021 School year marks the third year for Special Olympics at Lake Forest High School. Coach Kramer was part of the coaching staff that established the Special Olympics Program at Lake Forest High School and has held the position of head coach for the last two years. The program has seen tremendous growth and changes over the past three years. One of the big changes was adding Coach Doucette ( Bocce Ball, Basketball, and Track) and Coach McCleary (Track and Field) to the staff. In addition, each year our numbers of both buddies and athletes have increased. Lake Forest Special Olympics allows for students of all abilities to compete and for peer buddies to earn volunteer credit while supporting their peers in athletics and fun! Seasons for Special Olympics include bocce ball (fall), basketball (winter), and track (spring). No prior experience necessary!
We are always accepting more athletes and peer buddies! For questions, reach out to Coach Kramer at nkramer@lfschools.net or Coach Doucette at mdoucette@lfschools.net
Find out more about these sports by clicking on the team tab.
BOCCE BALL
2021 Special Olympics Bocce Ball
BOCCE BALL
COACHES
Melissa Doucette, Assistant Special Olympics Bocce Ball & Basketball, Head Coach Special Olympics Olympics Track and Field.
mdoucette@lfschools.net
Coach Doucette joined the Special Olympics coaching staff in 2019.
Coach Doucette has a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign and a Master's in Administration from Roosevelt University. She has taught art at LFHS since 2001.
SCHEDULE
TEAM NEWS
Bocce Ball
Covid Limits Bocce Ball Activity in 2020
Covid limited what we could do, but it did not stop us from having a fall season that included five athletes and ten student buddies. Our third annual Fall Bocce Tournament was won by Emerson Donohue.
Coed Bocce Ball ended their season with a final practice, an end of the year Halloween party and a bocce tournament. The tournament was won by Quinn Epstein!
Quinn Epstein is winner of bocce Tournament
09/26/19
On Thursday, September 26, Coed Bocce Ball had their inaugural bocce match up against Stevenson High School. The event consisted of conventional bocce ball with Lake Forest and Stevenson athletes rotating into the activity so every one could work on their skills and get to know each other!!!
After about 30 minutes, the athletes combined into just two groups and did additional skills competitions. Lake Forest excelled at accurately delivering their balls close to the pallina while Stevenson exhibited a strength rolling the ball a long distance. Everyone had a great time!
Fall, 2018 is the inaugural season for bocce ball at Lake Forest High School. The athletes who are participating in this first season are:
- Yulissa Castaneda (transition student)
- Tyler Fitzgerald (high school student)
- William Preschlack (high school student)
- Marina Strom (transition student)
- Elliana Tribble (high school student)
- Allison Weeden (transition student)
The student coaches for fall bocce ball are:
- Patrick McNeil (transition student)
- Sydney Rubenstein (high school student)
- Abby Rubin (high school student)
- Honor Thomas (high school student)
Head coach for bocce ball is Madeline Stender and assistant coach is Nick Kramer.
This first season was limited to practices and no competitions with outside schools.
Yulissa Castaneda won the first-ever bocce tournament!
Congratulations, Yulissa!
TEAM ROSTER
BASKETBALL
2021 Special Olympics Basketball Athletes and Peer Buddies
2021 Special Olympics Basketball
BASKETBALL
COACHES
Melissa Doucette, Assistant Special Olympics Bocce Ball, & Basketball, Head Coach Special Olympics Track and Field
mdoucette@lfschools.net
Coach Doucette joined the Special Olympics coaching staff in 2019.
Coach Doucette has a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign and a Master's in Administration from Roosevelt University. She has taught art at LFHS since 2001.
SCHEDULE
TEAM NEWS
BASKETBALL 2021 IS UNDERWAY
Special Olympics Basketball 2021 Is Underway!
Basketball is now underway! Our season runs through Tuesday, March 2. Currently, there are ten athletes signed up along with ten student buddies. We are always accepting more athletes and peer buddies! For questions, reach out to Coach Kramer at nkramer@lfschools.net or Coach Doucette at mdoucette@lfschools.net
2019-20 Special Olympics Basketball Practices Have Begun
Our Final Practice of the 2018-19 Season!
Thanks, everyone, for a great first season!
Great Job at the Volkmann Basketball Tournament!
The LFHS Basketball Team Wins 2 and Ties 1 Game in First Basketball Tournament.
Liam takes a shot
Allison makes a basket!
Yulissa dribbles toward the basket.
Thank you to our peer coaches Sydney Rubenstein and Alisa Giannelli and to everyone who came to cheer us on!
The first-ever Special Olympics Basketball game was held at West Campus on Thursday, February 7, 2019
vs Stevenson.
Stevenson came away with the win in a close game 42-50.
The Freshmen Boys Basketball Team attended the first-ever Special Olympics Basketball Game.
Athletic Director Tim Burkhalter makes pre-game announcements at the beginning of the game.
Stevenson and Lake Forest Special Olympic teams
ROSTER
basketball Roster, Athletes & peer buddies
| Nicolette | Bevis | Athlete |
| Luke | Cast | Athlete |
| Yulissa | Castaneda | Athlete |
| Emerson | Donohue | Athlete |
| Quinn | Epstein | Athlete |
| Tyler | Fitzgerald | Athlete |
| Hannah | Hinkemeyer | Athlete |
| Jane | Riley | Athlete |
| Eliana | Tribble | Athlete |
| Emily | Bertram | Buddy |
| Kate | Bienkowski | Buddy |
| Anne | Cook | Buddy |
| Grace | Cook | Buddy |
| Sophie | Doucette | Buddy |
| Rose | Nugent | Buddy |
| Lucy | Rogers | Buddy |
| Sydney | Rubenstein | Buddy |
| Jacob | Terry | Buddy |
| Scott | Weston | Buddy |
TRACK & FIELD
Special Olympics Track & Field Parent Letter
Please join the Remind group for parents:
- Send a text to: 81010
- Text this message: @h7ffgf
I will text info about the team such as reminders about practice through this app. This will also allow you to text messages to me at any time.
TRACK & FIELD
COACHES
Melissa Doucette, Head Special Olympics Track Coach
mdoucette@lfschools.net
2020 is Coach Doucette's first year as Head Coach of the Special Olympics Track team. Prior to this she was an Assistant Coach for Special Olympics Bocce Ball and Basketball this year.
She has taught art at LFHS since 2001.
Coach Doucette has a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign and a Master's in Administration from Roosevelt University.
Jake McCleary, Assistant Special Olympics Track & Field Coach
jmccleary@lfschools.net
2020 marks Coach McCleary's first year as an Assistant Special Olympics Track & Field coach at LFHS and his first year coaching.
Coach McCleary received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He is a Teaching Assistant in the Transition Program at Lake Forest High School.
SCHEDULE
TEAM NEWS
ROSTER
2020 Track Roster of Buddies and Athletes
| Madeleine | Arch |
| Emily | Bertram |
| Rayane | Brown Ouazzani |
| Lucas | Cast |
| Yulissa | Castaneda |
| Emerson | Donohue |
| Quinn | Epstein |
| Tyler | Fitzgerald |
| Liam | Hulseman |
| Rachel | LeRose |
| Charlie | Paul |
| Jane | Riley |
| Sydney | Rubinstein |
| Caroline | Speed |
| Elliana | Tribble |
| Anastasios | Tzioufas |
| Allison | Weeden |