KUSD Special Olympics is growing
Stewart currently teaches at Kingman Middle School as a sixth grade Special Education Resource teacher. She is the Special Olympics Coordinator for Kingman Unified School District and she is also the liaison between the district and the Special Olympics Committee of Arizona.
Stewart received her BA in History and Sociology from Idaho State University in 2015. She then furthered her education by attending the University of Phoenix, where she earned her Master’s in Special Education in 2020.
She became involved with the KUSD Special Olympics when a former coworker asked her if she was interested in being a coach for the Special Olympics sports at KUSD. She was familiar with the program because she has an uncle who is intellectually disabled and has Cerebral Palsy. Her uncle is in a Special Olympics Bowling league, and she has witnessed how this league created confidence and friendships for her uncle.
She also experienced it firsthand with a former special education student of hers. This student wanted to play sports and tried out for the football team at school but did not make it. She said she was inspired by the student’s dedication and yearning to participate in sports. From that point on her passion ignited and she was determined to help students alike.
Ms. Stewart spoke at the Champions of Inclusion breakfast in December for the Inaugural Special Olympics of Arizona. When asked the “why” she does what she does for the KUSD Special Olympics within the school district, she said, “This program ensures that people with disabilities are able to play sports in a more inclusive environment with acceptance and understanding for both students and staff.”
She also mentioned, “It creates confidence, friendships, raises their self-esteem, teaches them responsibility and to respect their peers and coaches.”
Currently, KUSD Special Olympics is offered at Kingman Middle School and Black Mountain School. The sports that are offered are: Track and Field, Bocce, Basketball, Soccer and Softball. She is hoping to include new sports such as cheerleading and e-sports in the future.
She would love for it to expand into other schools within our district. If anyone is interested in starting a Special Olympics team at a school in our district, please contact Tyffnee Stewart at tstewart@kusd.org.
