Inside the Program: Spring Woods HS hosts first-ever Unified Football game

Driving by Spring Woods high school on Friday afternoon, a person would have thought there was a playoff football game going on.

The band filed into the stands, a voice booming through the stadium's loudspeakers calling out player's names after every play, cheerleaders on the sideline and teams lined up on each sideline.

It wasn't a playoff game. But for these students, it was as big as the Super Bowl.

Spring Woods Principal Jennifer Collier helped organize the campus' first-ever unified sporting event, which included students from the Life Skills program to play in a football game with a pair of 15-minute halves. The event was a school event with students filling the stands and making it feel like a Friday night in Texas.

"This is probably my favorite event that I have ever planned," Collier said. "This is a group of kids who can be invisible if you allow them to. We just made a commitment. Our district values every child and when we started thinking about that we realized there was a group of children that we were doing a disservice to, that didn't get to be a part of the culture of Spring Woods High School.

"Planning this was incredible, executing it was even more amazing. Our student body is fantastic and to watch them celebrate and enjoy themselves, this might be the best day they've ever had and I'm just so proud to be a part of it."

The game itself finished in a thrilling 42-42 tie, with a moment that many in attendance will never forget.