`The Olympics` at the Agam School for Special Education

The Agam School for special education is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, and was a recipient of the National Education Award in 2015. The school won a regional education award this year and is a candidate for the National Prize. The school is attended by 95 students aged six to 21 years, with a range of disabilities, including physical disabilities, autism and other rare syndromes.

The Agam School is recognized by the Ministry of Education as a permanent school in the field of health promotion, which is the highest designation. The school staff believes in promoting health from a global, social and ecological perspective. Physical education and physical activity are an important part of the school’s educational and therapeutic worldview. Students with complex disabilities are challenged with physical activity that is adapted to their skill and grade levels, whether as a group or individual participant.

National physical education week is held once a year and holds a peak day for the Olympics, culminating in an educational program called World Experience, where students learn about different countries. Each class will embark on an educational trip at the beginning of the year. Preparations for peak day and the Olympics include a work program for physical education teachers in which they train students in a variety of sports. For each of the 12 classes of the school, a sport is chosen for the country they are studying. In the main ceremony, students are required to present what they have learned according to their functional capacity.

In order to give the show a competitive dimension, guest judges from the community are invited. The judges are former and present Paralympic athletes and representatives from the sports world. For examples, Mrs. Ester Roth Shachamarov, Moran Samuel, and others from the Academy of Physical Education and Special Education.

Judging is done according to pre-defined criteria. At the end of the competition, the referee gives the trophy to the winning class.

This year, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel, the school chose to hold a salute to the World Maccabi movement and to hold the Maccabiah Games in the place of the Olympics. The winners of the gold medals are Itzik Meistbalov and the Vice-President of the World Maccabi Movement, Roy Hessing.

In the presentation you can see matches in sports. Assistive devices are utilized to help students include a bocce ball rolling device by pressing a switch, and the use of a flashlight for the visually impaired, a wheelchair connected basketball system, among others. Also students from standard education are invited, and make it a significant learning experience.