By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Earlier this month, Otsego High School hosted its annual snowcoming festivities.
And as has become a recent tradition, the OHS student body used the opportunity to honor members of the RISE (Reaching Independence Through Support and Education) program.
Six RISE students were crowned as homecoming royalty. They were accompanied by their Links, who are general education students who are paired with RISE students to help them throughout the school day and at school outings/events.
The snowcoming court included: Trenton Travis (escorted by Anna Podewell and Colin Rochon); Maddy Watson (escorted by Emma Wrobleski and Caroline Finch); Tyler Billman (escorted by Madison Hoffman and Ellie Bush); Drew Smith (escorted by Keira Modreske); Jacob Pagano (escorted by Tessa Visser and Matthew Clark); and Gibson Brown (escorted by Sidney Morris and Carmen Nacarino Muro).
Watson said being crowned made her feel “joyful and (full of) happiness because I like being a princess.”
Smith summed up the snowcoming experience with the word “awesome.”
“It felt awesome to be crowned and it was awesome to have everyone there,” he said. “I felt special.”
The experience was also special for links such as Hoffman.
“I think that it’s very important and cool to see how excited (the RISE students) get to be involved in something that normally people don’t include them in,” Hoffman said.
Fellow Link Rochon agreed.
“It feels good because it shows that we all care for them and it’s a very special moment for them,” Rochon said.
OHS teacher Merry Beth Scott is the advisor for the OHS Student Council, which came up with the idea to honor the RISE students four years ago.
“Doing royalty this way demonstrates the unique culture of inclusivity and empathy we have at OHS,” Scott said. “It’s a conscious effort by the student leaders to show their peers that they have value and are important.
“The love and support from the student section during the group photo is always a tear-jerker.”
Cooper Smalldon and Anna Moore are the current OHS student council president and vice president, respectively.
“I feel honoring our RISE students is an amazing way for us to honor those that might not be able to be recognized otherwise, even though they are still an important part of our culture at school,” Smalldon said.
“For me, honoring the rise kids is a chance for us to recognize that we are all meant to be loved and acknowledged by others no matter our differences,” Moore said.