RIVERTON, Utah – Football players from Riverton High School visited with students with special needs this week in order to share school spirit and deliver T-shirts.
The trip is an annual tradition that began when the team’s head coach visited the Kauri Sue Hamilton School and felt a desire to do something to contribute to the happiness of the students there.
“There is a feeling in this school that I love and that I want my football kids to love and appreciate,” head coach Mike Miller said.
Miller has been bringing his players to the school for the last five years, along with a load of T-shirts. The players spend the afternoon visiting with the students and sharing their school spirit.
Rita Bouillon, the principal at Kauri Sue Hamilton, said they appreciate the visit.
“It makes us feel part of the community,” she said. “It’s really awesome.”
Bouillon said the students enjoy meeting and taking pictures with the players who visit. Korbyn Baucom was a part of the visit this year and last, and he said the trip is a highlight of the year.
“I'll always remember this,” he said. “I’ve never forgotten about it last year, and then when I heard we were doing it this year, I was so excited.”
Miller said he first visited the school to meet with a student who designed a poster to support him in a local chili cook-off, and he said that visit inspired him to do more for the students at the school as well as those on his team.
“As a football coach, our goal is to help boys become men, and this is one of those experiences that helps us put life in perspective and teach the guys what they need to do to become functional in society,” he said.
