RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- The Department of Defense Education Activity held the Spring Special Olympics at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 30, 2025.
The event brought special needs students together to have a sports field day celebrating them and the end of the school year.
“The goal of the special olympics is to bring the special needs community together and let them know they are valued,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Marcus Tivis, 693rd Intelligence Support Squadron operations flight commander. “We want to bring everybody together for a good cause and raise awareness.”
The event allowed the students to have increased social interaction, something they do not regularly see.
“They’re a lot more isolated from the rest of the school,” said Lynette Dunstan, a paraprofessional at Ramstein Middle School. “It’s important for the kids to get out in the community. It gives them a chance to get out and be themselves and meet kids from other schools.”
Not only were the olympics beneficial to the students, it helped parents as well.
“I have a full-time job so I don’t get to have 24/7 interactions with my daughter,” said Roderick Wilson, a parent volunteer. “So when I come to events like this and get to see her interacting with her friends and having fun in groups, it’s just perfect.”
Along with Air Force and Army volunteers, the event included students and staff from nine schools across the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
“Events of this scale where we’re bringing in other schools were really rare back home,” Wilson said. “The sense of community is just awesome to see.”
The special olympics provided the children and their families with a field day, giving them a sense of being seen and valued.
“It’s so hard to get others to understand the importance of special needs events,” said Shirley Valdivia, a parent volunteer. “This shows that the military community cares about families like us.”
Ultimately, the event raised awareness about special needs students and gave them a chance to be in the spotlight.
“At the end of the day, they are just kids and they want to be included too,” Dunstan said. “It’s amazing that the community gets to see how amazing the kids are. This is the highlight of my year.”