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Vern Riffe School pep rally celebrates Special Olympics team
VRS Cardinals

Students at the Vern Riffe School in Portsmouth came together on Thursday to celebrate their VRS Cardinals Special Olympics team in a pep rally at the school.


“For the past couple of years we’ve been limited in what we can do. We finally got the OK to open up the gym and play ball,” said Rita Arthur, coach of the VRS Cardinals. “It’s more of a celebration for our kids here at the Vern Riffe School to get back to playing basketball. We want to let the kids know it’s OK to be kids again.”


The season began on Thursday, Jan. 19, and will compete with school districts throughout the county. The Vern Riffe School’s Special Olympics team also has teams competing in volleyball, bowling, and track and field. 


“We are very excited for the start of a new year and getting out kids out to play. The last couple of years we’ve had to have masks on, and we played but we couldn’t have all of the kids and families in the gym with us because of COVID. So this year we’re all opened up and ready to go, and our kids and staff are really excited about it,” Arthur said.


An adult Special Olympic team from the Scioto County DD, also plays throughout southern Ohio. 

For more information about the programs and services at the Scioto County Developmental Disabilities, call 740-353-0636 or visit online at www.sciotodd.org, and like and follow them on Facebook.