Students celebrated at Turtleford’s annual I Can Games

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“We always tell the high school volunteers that they get celebrated lots. They have lots of opportunities with hockey and dance. They get to be the centre of attention and succeed a lot,” said Kennedy Lundberg, a speech-language pathologist with the Northwest School Division and co-organizer of the event. 

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“For some of our kids coming today, this is their one day. So to have Special Olympics here and get to know there are other opportunities for them, I think that’s really important. They get to be celebrated here today, and there are other days that they can be celebrated as well.” 

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

Special Olympics Saskatchewan helped lead the sports area, and representatives said they were excited by the turnout. 

“It’s just really awesome to see such a well-developed event and to be part of such an amazing day. The kids get to have so much fun and participate in all these activities,” said Adrien Van Dyke, youth and health coordinator with Special Olympics Saskatchewan. “It’s really exciting for Special Olympics to be part of such a cool opportunity.” 

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

Along with the sports area, students took part in a variety of activities, including a scooter circuit inside the arena, events with the fire department and the Creature Corral petting zoo. 

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

Organizers said the fire department’s station may have inspired a few future firefighters. “Everybody loves getting to spray the fire hose, and the fire department is finding some new recruits,” Lundberg said. 

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

This was the third year the I Can Games were held in Turtleford, though the event dates back to 2022 and was previously hosted in Meadow Lake and Dorintosh. 

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

Lundberg said the event would not be possible without broad support from the school division, volunteers and the wider community. 

“The Northwest School Division staff and volunteers all help make it happen. We have invited guests from outside the division as well, but it’s mostly division schools,” she said. 

“The town helps a lot, and Turtleford School itself plays a big role. That’s where all our high school volunteers come from,” Lundberg added. “We’re very lucky with the amount of support that we have. We are organizing it, but we are not doing it alone. It is very much a group effort.”

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: Ryan Lambert/battlefordsNOW staff)

For organizers, the day is about more than games and activities. It is about helping students feel celebrated while showing them there are more opportunities waiting beyond the event itself. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com