On January 19th, AUHSD held its annual Special Youth Service Basketball Tournament at Cypress High once word got around that the original host of the occasion (Loara High) would have to go under some renovations earlier than expected. Schools from all over the district gathered for the annual tournament
where Special Education students played basketball against each other. Special guests The Laker Girls even made an appearance on campus during the event. There were also special performances from Cypress’ Band, Cheer, and Advanced Dance on the blacktop near the gym. Activities ranging from face painting to dancing were made available for students.
Before the sudden change of venue, the event was going to take place at Loara High School–up until the school got notice that construction for their new black tops was initiated earlier than planned. Because of this unscheduled occurrence, there were
two options: completely postpone the event itself, or have it hosted at another school. Luckily, Cypress was able to volunteer and come forward with a plan to help. Cypress’ Principal Mrs. Brown, the Athletic Directors, and the field crew dove into the event and lent a helping hand. Freshman PE Teacher–Mrs. Armstrong said, “We have a great crew, and we all just kind of came together–saw the importance of the event itself, and what it would do to those athletes if we changed it…and to change it on them would be devastating.” Seeing how important the event would be for students, led not only the school but the entire district to assist with the matter.
The function itself is usually held yearly along with the annual Special Youth Soccer Tournament. However, this year, new activities arose, such as face painting provided by Ms. Stewart’s Stagecraft Class. Students from classes ranging from ASB to Theater Stagecraft helped set up activities for the others. Yearbook and Journalism staff took photos and interviewed participants. Apart from the new activities that were offered, students also got a chance to socialize with students from all over the district. Students were filled with joy when it came to meeting new faces from other districts. Special Education teacher Ms. Jackson said the “junior highs were all here, which is very nice for our students since they got to see classmates that went to other schools, they get to see teachers and aides that they knew from their previous years; so it’s nice for them to have that part so they could all get together.”
As a result of the united front that Cypress staff and students helped provide, the event was successful and students were full of excitement. The next Special Youth Services will be held at Hope High School.
