Blue Eagles fly high with Special Olympics. Clover High has the banner to prove it.

With apologies to Yellow Jackets, Falcons, Trojans, Bearcats and a host of others, it was hard not to be a Blue Eagle on Friday.

Clover High School unfurled a new banner at a raucous pep rally, but it wasn’t the latest state championship or region title. At least not the way most people think of them. The banner is one of eight awarded statewide as a National Unified Champion School through Special Olympics South Carolina.

South Carolina is one of five states participating in the pilot program recognizing schools that put exceptional effort toward serving students of all need levels.

“We know that this is a team effort,” said wrestling coach Michael Fitzgerald, the emcee on Friday. “This is a reflection of the culture of our entire school.”

Clover has 18 typical varsity and junior varsity teams competing just this spring from lacrosse the baseball to dance and step. While honoring those squads the school also celebrated its five teams who compete in Special Olympics events. Unified events, meaning special needs students compete with non-special needs ones, are basketball, cheerleading and bocce. Traditional events are bowling and track and field.

Barry Coats, president and CEO of Special Olympics South Carolina, praised the school for work it does to include dozens of students not only in athletics, but in daily interactions.

“Thanks for opening your hearts and minds to our community,” he told students, “and making a difference in our lives.”

If there were any question as to how special needs students fit in at Clover with their typically-developing classmates, it was answered sometime between the world record holding alum taking his bow and current student Ty Williams flushing down a putback dunk during a game of knockout on the basketball court.

Scott Rohrer, 2007 grad, holds two Special Olympics world records in golf. Josh Myers, class of 2006, is a near mountain of a man who nobody doubted when he recalled competing in football, wrestling, powerlifting and a half dozen more sports both at Clover High and in Special Olympics events.

“Each of you in your own way have changed Clover High School, one person at a time,” Myers told students.

Myers didn’t speak until age 5, and was diagnosed with severe autism about the same time.

“I was a handful back then,” he said, “and I had major meltdowns.”

His mother died of cancer when he was 8, and a teacher “took me in and raised me,” he said. He grew to become “the secret weapon” on the football team and a contributor to several other squads open to all students. He served in the ROTC program and on student council.

He attended York Technical College after Clover High and now has three jobs in sales, filing and lifeguarding.

“It’s who I am,” Myers said of the way Clover High shaped him, regardless his diagnosis. “It’s how I live. I’m proud of the person I’ve become.”

Folks experiencing the feels in the early part of Friday’s event had a long celebration ahead of them.

There was a mass Sadie Hawkins proposal where non-special needs members of the Unified teams invited their teammates to a dance later in the evening. Students held a cup castle stacking competition with a 12-year-old Make-A-Wish recipient, then presented her with a replica of the painting a fine arts student created in her honor, the original to be auctioned off for Make-A-Wish South Carolina. There was a minute-long court storming to raise funds.

The school is turning its spring spirit week into “Wish Week” with a variety of events raising money to help more young people diagnosed with life-threatening illness experience nearly whatever they can imagine.

Mary Silverberg, donor care and youth senior programs manager with the South Carolina chapter, said three decades ago her group served about 20 children per year. Last year they served 180. Still, there are more than 400 children diagnosed annually in South Carolina with conditions qualifying them for Make-A-Wish.

“Our ultimate goal is to be able to reach every eligible child in our state,” she said.

As they’re steadily making a name for themselves in doing, Clover High will do its part. On Friday, one of the most inclusive schools was honoreed with a highly exclusive award. For students and alumni like Myers, it’s bigger. It’s an attitude at school among special needs and typically developing students alike, that doesn’t end with graduation.

“Once a Blue Eagle,” he shouted, “always a Blue Eagle!”

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Blue Eagles fly high with Special Olympics. Clover High has the banner to prove it.."