THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2024 Page 13 NUMBER ONE: Malden High School’s Unifi ed Basketball Team’s Raquel Machado let everyone know what she thinks of her team at Tuesday’s Greater Boston League Basketball Jamboree. TEAM HELPERS: From left: Tom, Rich and Tyler were helping out the Medford team at the Greater Boston League Jamboree. track in the spring for its Unifi ed Sports program. Malden was the first GBL school to off er Unifi ed Sports and in its fi rst year traveled and hosted games and events with other schools in the Eastern Mass. region. Gradually, led by the leadership of Malden and Medford, the GBL began to expand and grow, and so did the Unifi ed Sports aspect of athletic programs. At Tuesday’s event, dubbed the GBL Jamboree, nearly every GBL school was represented at the event, including Malden and Revere. The teams are coed and include challenged studentathletes assisted by “helpers,” most of whom are members of the respective schools’ traditional boys and girls basketball teams. “I’ve yet to meet one of the helper studentathletes who has not benefi ted from their interaction with the Unified Sports players,” Conefrey said. “It enhances their lives and teaches them some important life lessons. It’s great to see.” The Malden Athletic Director, who was a GBL All-Star basketball guard himself in DRIVE FOR MALDEN: Omar drives to the basket for Malden. the late 1990s, said many of the helper student-athletes from the Unifi ed Sports games also volunteer in similar roles in the Unifi ed Physical Education Classes — also off ered at Malden High School — again one of the fi rst schools to do so in the GBL. Malden has four times been recognized as an exemplary “National Unified Sports School” by Special Olympics and is expecting a fi fth such selection this year. “It’s great to see everyone having such as great time,” Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo, who was a Division 1 head boys basketball coach at Peabody High in the 2000s, said. “Our Unifi ed teams work very hard and we appreciate all the work their coach April Edmunds and her assistant put in to make this all happen.” “We are proud of what we have established here and intend on continuing to be successful in allowing all of our students to participate in some form of athletics,” Conefrey said. “Everyone wins with Unifi ed Sports.” ‘CHARLIE BUCKETS’: Charlie “Buckets” Fielding and his trademark, underhand “jumpshot” has resulted in plenty of points for his Malden team this season. (Courtesy/Malden Public Schools) MALDEN UNIFIED TEAM: Coach April Edmunds (center) joined with Malden Director of Athletics Charlie Conefrey (left) and Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo in congratulating the Unifi ed Basketball Team and the helpers from the Malden Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball Teams. (Courtesy/Malden Public Schools)
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