KCI Relays 2013

“First call 50 meter dash, first call boys softball throw, second call girls frisbee.” These are the sounds of the 2013 KCI Relays that occurred on May 11^th, at Center High School. KCI Relays is a track and field contest for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18. The meet was organized with the intention of providing youngsters in residential centers a chance to test their physical and social abilities. Agencies are invited from the greater Kansas City area. Ribbons for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th place finishers are presented to the winners. Team trophies are awarded to the top three finishers in each division. An Outstanding Male and Female Track Performers are also awarded individual trophies for their achievement.

Because of the nature of the children involved, a special effort is made to create numerous opportunities for individual success. For this reason, activities with varying degrees of competitiveness are included. An emphasis on the value of sportsmanship should prevail over that of winning and losing.  This emphasis should be part of the educational process which begins before the actual day of the meet,

The KCI Relays serve a special population and has been carefully and uniquely designed to enhance the potential for socialization experiences.

Staff from the participating agencies plays a significant role in the process as they provide individual support and guidance to help the youngsters deal with the realities of competition. The message conveyed is that the important factor is not winning, but taking part and giving one’s best effort. The boys and girls involved seem to accept this idea, as demonstrated by the absence of behavioral difficulties and the spirit of camaraderie.

The 2013 event was a huge success in many ways. Not only did kids who didn’t have tennis shoes to run in get those through a generous donor, but the Gillis youth fully participated, had a ton of fun and came out as winners!

Submitted by Pam Sanders, Gillis School Director

Graduation

Gillis school staff love this time of year and it's not because they are counting down the remaining days of the school year! It's because of the many high school graduation announcements arriving in the mail. Some include written notes from the graduate reminiscing about their days at Gillis and some include current pictures of young men and women proving that the days really do fly by.

These announcements provide proof that the seeds planted years ago through Gillis programming helped these young men and women find success in public school and ultimately reach graduation. The goal for each child from their very first day in the Gillis Therapeutic Day school is graduation. Teachers and support staff work alongside students to help each one achieve their academic goals, successfully manage their emotions and ultimately continue finding success and making academic progress through graduation.

Gillis is very proud of each student's success while at Gillis and for the years that follow. A few of our long term teaching staff posed for the picture below so we can return it with a congratulations card to each one of our students who is achieving graduation this May.

Congratulations graduates!