General, special education students learn archery together in Unified PE at Owatonna Middle School

The wait was worth it once the arrows took flight.

After a full class period of safety training, Unified PE students at Owatonna Middle School took their first shots this week at a makeshift archery range in the gym.

An emerging program in schools across the nation, Unified PE brings general and special education students together for sports and group activities. It was introduced to OMS by co-teachers Amanda Flohrs, who teaches PE and health at OMS, and Heather Elfering, a Developmental Adapted Physical Education (DAPE) teacher for the district.

In addition to the bows OMS uses in its general ed PE classes, Owatonna Parks and Recreation contributed equipment from its adaptive archery programs, including bows with a lower draw weight.

To ensure that every student got to take a shot, Parks and Rec unveiled its newly acquired adaptive bow stand. According to Recreation Supervisor Tom Gorycki, Parks and Rec has tested it before but this week marked its first use in a classroom environment. Purchased with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the stand allows archers to control the bow via a trigger mechanism. Comparing it to more “cumbersone” models, Gorycki highlighted the stand’s versatility. It allows users to take aim and fire from a wheelchair or a standing position.

Parks and Rec will be using the new stand for its adaptive programs in the future.

“I think it’s fun,” said seventh grader Gavin Rosenberg after using the device.

Rosenberg had never tried archery before taking Unified PE, but it piqued his interest in the sport.

Flohrs said archery is a worthwhile skill to learn because it’s accessible to a wide range of people.

“You can do this at any age at any ability,” she said. “It’s a lifelong sport that they can do with their families. We have an archery range here in town. Tom does a whole bunch of adaptive programs with this. It’s just something that if they get into it now they could be into it for the rest of their life.”

One of the students, sixth grader Ethan Perkinson, was initially frightened by the sound of the bowstring next to his ear. He was reluctant to take another shot until 8th grader Leah Leckner stood next to him.

The two have formed a close bond since meeting in Unified PE. Leckner enjoyed seeing him try again after his initial hesitance

“It was really fun. It’s cool getting to meet different people in this class. It’s cool to build a relationship with him,” said Leckner.

Their supportive dynamic is exactly what the teachers were hoping to foster when they designed the class.

“I love watching their relationship. It’s so cute. I can’t always understand Ethan, but he can say ‘Leah’ plain as day,” said Flohrs.

Eighth grader Rose Bishop noted the class had done a similar activity in its Olympics-themed event earlier this year , but this was her first opportunity to try the real thing. She said archery came naturally to her.

While plenty of the kids were newcomers to archery, eighth grader Lillian Blaha has made a hobby of it since she received a bow for Christmas. Archery is popular in her family, and she particularly enjoys competing with her cousin to see who can score the most points.

“It’s really fun,” said Blaha. “It’s kind of like a challenge.”