Each year, Wellwood Middle School students choose a charitable organization to partner with for their Positivity Project, a research-based character education curriculum focused on 24 distinct character strengths. This year, students decided to work with CNY Adaptive Sports, a local organization that aims to enhance the abilities of individuals with medically documented limitations by focusing on their abilities rather than their impairments.
The partnership kicked off at the beginning of the school year with a visit from CNY Adaptive Sports President Mike Smithson. He shared his personal journey and highlighted how specific character strengths helped him navigate life through adaptive sports.
To deepen this understanding, students watched the documentary, “Changing Sports, Changing Lives.” It explores the impact of adaptive sports on individuals with disabilities and highlights how athletes shift the focus from their impairments to their abilities. Students were tasked with tracking one of the 24 strengths throughout the film and participated in mixed grade level discussions.
“We thought it was important for our students to build this background knowledge before experiencing adaptive sports for themselves,” said Wellwood teacher Amy Sibert.
Students experienced them firsthand during physical education classes in May. They tried playing wheelchair basketball and other adaptive sports.
“Our physical education classes were hugely successful, the halls were buzzing with excitement,” added Sibert.
Physical Education teacher Kyle Keeney shared that it was such a valuable experience for students that he would like to see students learn about adaptive sports once or twice during middle school.
The project culminated with a CNY Adaptive Sports activity during a recent Color Run event. Teachers nominated 24 students to represent each character strength. The students participated in a wheelchair relay race while their classmates cheered them on.
Wellwood’s eighth grade Family and Consumer Sciences class also got in on the action. They partnered with local restaurant, Funk ‘n Waffles, to serve up a special waffle over two days. All of the proceeds from the waffle sales will go to CNY Adaptive Sports.
The Positivity Project tradition will continue into the 2026-27 school year. Students will vote soon to determine next year’s partnership.