Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse A group of nearly 100 Canfield High School students asked to be part of Champions Day 2025 at Bob Dove Field. The students got some last minute encouragement from Canfield Superintendent Joe Knoll prior to heading to various athletic stations to give hundreds of special needs students a chance to become special abilities students.

Champions Day was a huge success with hundreds of students representing 16 schools in the Mahoning Valley taking part Sept. 18. It has come a long way since its humble beginnings. The first Champions Day was held in 2021 and Canfield Superintendent Joe Knoll was the driving force behind it.

“I wanted to create a Friday game day experience for our students with special abilities,” he said. “The first event had 53 students participating, coming from six different schools.”

For Knoll, the event is one that touches close to home. Knoll’s son Andrew is a special-needs student and Knoll understood many of them don’t have a chance to get out and take part in various sports.

“As a superintendent and father with a special-abilities child, watching our students truly shine in an event like this fills me with pride and gratitude,” Knoll said. “It reminds me that every child deserves a chance to feel included, honored and celebrated. The focus is on what each student can do…not can’t.”

His own son Andrew took part in the first Champions Day. Today Andrew is 22, but carries with him the memories of the event.

Knoll prefers to identify the students, not as special needs students, but as special abilities students. The designation was well represented at Champions Day by the large variety of stations for the students to take part in. There was tennis, golf, soccer, football and cheerleading.

Each station had a host of volunteer athletes from Canfield High School. None of them were asked to take part.

“They all came to us and asked to be part of Champions Day,” Knoll said.

Each participant gets a t-shirt and at the end of the event, they receive a medal during an awards ceremony on the field. After that portion of the event, all students and aides are invited to lunch.

The event t-shirts, medals and lunch do have a price, but Knoll said the community has stepped up.

“We have a grant from the James and Coralie Centofanti family along with various donations from others,” Knoll said. “There is no cost to any district for their participation. Canfield is truly grateful for the support.”

Assisting Knoll to put on the event is Josie Homsey, a retired special services secretary. She said there are a lot of aides helping at the event and the band is even told to play at a lower pitch so as not to upset anyone.

“We need people here who know how to deal with students and coaches to help them understand special needs,” Homsey said. “This year we are seeing close to 200 students from 16 Valley schools.”

She said schools participating include Canfield, South Range, Struthers, Jackson Milton, Campbell, Sebring, Educational Service Center, Columbiana Exempted Village, Boardman, Austintown, the Rich Center, Leonard Kirtz School, Beaver Local, Poland, Potential Development and Springfield Local.

Knoll said, “This is a fantastic team effort.”