Inaugural Olympic Week in America a Success
Chicago 2016’s premier installment of Olympic Week in America, which took place from May 5 through May 9, spread the ideals of the Olympic Movement to students at 50 schools in the Chicago area. In all, 17 Olympians and Paralympians participated in the program, visiting 11 schools and sharing the lessons they learned from training and competition at the Games. Approximately 25,000 students celebrated Olympic Week and took part in activities and athletic competition. Chicago 2016 is committed to building on this curriculum and ensuring that the Olympic ideals are reinforced throughout the year.
Watch recap video of Olympic Week in America
Day 5: Friday, May 9th
On Friday, schools participating in Olympic Week capped the end of an exciting five days with a Field Day. One of the highlights of the day was Michael McCahey (fencing, 1984) giving a presentation to students. Students had the opportunity, after learning about the Olympic and Paralympic Games with their teachers, to get a taste of these sports by competing with their classmates.
Some schools used the Junior Olympic Skills program for their Field Day. The Junior Olympic Skills is a free national grassroots competition that provides boys and girls, ages 8 to 13, the opportunity to showcase their athletic abilities in four sports: basketball, soccer, tennis and track and field. Once a school signs up for the program, the United States Olympic Committee sends an administrative kit that includes basketballs, soccer balls, tennis rackets and tennis balls.
Day 4: Thursday, May 8th
Chicago 2016 celebrated Paralympic Sports Day at Neil Elementary School on the South Side. The school was chosen to host the day because 40 percent of its students are disabled. The school even counts Paralympian Kenny Johnson (boccia, 1992, 1996) as an alum. The day included a presentation by several Olympians and Paralympians and an interactive session of wheelchair basketball and boccia.
Jason Wening, a five-time Paralympic gold medalist and swimming world record holder (paralympic swimming, 1996, 2000) began Paralympic Sports day with a speech about the founding of the Paralympic Games and his personal experience in the Games. He emphasized that the only difference between a Paralympic athlete and an Olympic athlete is their bodies—both work hard to achieve their athletic goals. Courtney Johnson, an Olympic silver medalist in water polo, demonstrated her water polo skills, and Ella Chafee (swimming, athletics, 1964, 1968, fencing 1996) and Hope Chafee (swimming, athletics, 1964, 1968, archery, 1976) demonstrated Paralympic fencing. Also in attendance was Linda Mastandrea (wheelchair track, 1992, 1996).
After the presentation, Tom Dailey of the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association organized and ran a two-hour session of wheelchair basketball for older students and boccia for young students. Bob Szyman, PhD, a former wheelchair basketball coach and team leader, helped organize wheelchair basektball drills with the students. For most students, it was the first time they had ever played these Paralympic sports. Disabled and nondisabled students enjoyed these sports together.
In other Olympic Week in America news, Nathalie Bartelson (sychronized swimming, 1996) demonstrated her dry-land synchronized swimming routine to more than 500 students at Lloyd Elementary School.
Watch video highlights from Day 4 of Olympic Week in America.
Day 3: Wednesday, May 7th
Schools across the city celebrated Arts and Culture Day on Wednesday. Olympian Bob Pickens (wrestling, 1964) visited St. William Elementary School on Chicago’s northwest side. The students showed off their homemade torch for Bob. They also took the opportunity to display their athletic skills. Students also wrote letters of support for U.S. athletes who will be competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer in Beijing.
Day 2: Tuesday, May 6th
Six Olympians and one Paralympian celebrated “Teacher Appreciation Day” by being teachers for a day at seven area elementary schools. Montell Griffin (boxing, 1992; Sexton Elementary School), Michael Bennett (boxing, 2000; Jungman Elementary School), Danell Nicholson (boxing, 1992; Kozminski Elementary School), Tom Pukstys (track and field 1992, 1996; Reavis Elementary School) and Bill Mulliken (swimming, 1960; Alcott Elementary School) shared their experiences in the Olympic Games with the students.
Olympian Willie May (track and field, 1960) and Paralympian Paul Moran (sitting volleyball, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004) helped Mayor Richard M. Daley surprise Peirce Elementary School teacher Barbara Thompson with the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching. Willie and Paul, who were the teachers for a day during Thompson’s music class, acted as decoys until Mayor Daley burst into the auditorium to surprise the teacher with the award. They then attended a press conference with the mayor about education and Olympic Week in America.
Later that same day, Willie May presented an Olympic and Paralympic Games 101 class to a third graders at Dvorak Elementary School. The students learned about Willie’s ten years of dedication and hard work to make it to the Olympic Games, his photo finish in the 1960 110-meter hurdles (in which he won a silver medal) and his Torch Relay run in 1996.
Day 1: Monday, May 5th
Chicago 2016 and the students of Overton Elementary School celebrated the beginning of Olympic Week in America with an Opening Ceremony that included a colorful parade of nations. The school, located in Washington Park near the proposed site of the Olympic Stadium, proved to be the perfect setting to kick off the week's activities. During the school presentation, more than 400 students from the Washington Park community learned about the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sports included in the Games and the Olympic Torch.
Olympian Diane Simpson (rhythmic gymnastics, 1988) encouraged the students to be an "Olympian in life"—one who strives for excellence and lives by the Olympic values of hope, respect, harmony, friendship and celebration. She also wowed students with gymnastics skills. The students then paraded outside around the school with the 3' by 3' flags. The colorful flags represented countries such as Cambodia, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan and the Seychelles, among others.
Watch video highlights from Day 1 of Olympic Week in America.