By Tyler Dahlgren

It was a cloudy, rainy Friday morning in Sarpy County when the Prairie Queen Mustangs walked out of their elementary school and began their march towards Werner Park. 

They traveled in droves, nearly 500 students on their way to receive the prestigious National Special Olympics Banner. By the time they reached the minor league ballpark on the other side of Lincoln Road, where they were greeted by high school cheerleaders and the school’s mascot, Mustang Manny, the sun had emerged and the scene was set for a major league celebration that was a decade in the making.

“Our students and staff worked so hard to get to this point,” said principal Pam Lowndes. “The ten-year mark was our goal. We knew it was a long road. The journey has been so much fun and we have learned so much about being a unified school, not just in words, but in spirit.”

The school’s band provided the good vibes as the students found their seats. Lowndes was joined by Papillion-La Vista Community Schools superintendent Dr. Andrew Rikli, PQ parent Luke Paladino and Special Olympics Nebraska president and CEO Carolyn Chamberlin on top of the third-base dugout. Unified athletes were up there, too, introducing each speaker.

“Prairie Queen has fully comprehended what we’re trying to do with inclusive programming and inclusive environments, and became a truly unified school campus,” said Chamberlin. “Today’s a prime example of that. They have this motto, ‘What makes us different is what makes us special,’ and I think that is what Special Olympics is all about, celebrating everybody for who they really are.”

The day was extra special for Lowndes, who is retiring after being with Prairie Queen since it opened 10 years ago. Lowndes said she’s felt nothing but love in her 10 years at the school, and it was certainly on display Friday morning.

“I’m not sure there are words to accurately describe what this means,” Lowndes said. “It means even more when you see the athletes and their partners together, working together, rolling on the ground, laughing together, crying together. This is what life is about, and as we go through life we have to carry that mission with us wherever we go.”

The students had an opportunity to celebrate not only the award, but their principal, too.

“Pam has been an incredible principal for PLCS,” said Dr. Rikli. “She was our very first principal here at Prairie Queen, and she’s responsible for building the climate, building the culture, and today is just the perfect end to a really great career.”

Becoming a Special Olympics Banner School is no small feat, and PLCS wanted to make sure the students at Prairie Queen knew it. They could have held the celebration in the school’s gymnasium, where the banner will hang, but then they had another idea. They picked up the phone and called the home of the Stormchasers.

“Werner Park is an amazing community member,” Lowndes said. “They support Prairie Queen a hundred percent of the time. They make sure we’re invited to games. They make sure we understand that they’re here for us.”

Dr. Rikli said the celebration was the perfect way to wrap up what has been an excellent school year. Days like this fill him with pride, and there was no way he was missing it.

“Special Olympics and the National Unified Program have been so important to our school district, and to be able to recognize our first elementary, it’s just a really special event,” he said. “To be able to celebrate with our families and our community is great. It makes me incredibly proud.”

The banner was unveiled near the end of the ceremony, a moment that was met by a long round of loud applause, an accumulation of 10 years of dedication.

“When you look around at today’s event, you’ll see so many of our families who came to celebrate with us,” said Lowndes. “When we invite them, they come, because they know how much they’re part of our community. We have some alumni kids here who were there at the start of our journey, and that just means so much to us.”

Eventually the kids filed out of the bleachers, catching a hug from Mustang Manny on their way back to school. Summer break is just around the corner, and they had a collective and noticeable pep in their step. 

There’s no doubt they’ve earned it.

“Papillion-La Vista Community Schools really embodies everything this program is about, and this is such a great depiction of that,” said Chamberlin. “It’s the perfect day.”