Calais School ESY Students are enjoying a fun virtual OTlympics this summer as part of the ESY Time Travel theme, said Calais Occupational Therapist Michelle Geise.

Ms. Geise, who even sports Olympic glasses for the fun, said the OTympics are an annual event at Calais, which usually occur in June, but were moved to the summer. “The OTlympics has a ‘torch’ that is ‘lit’ for the duration, as students of the same age compete for medals and awards,” she said. “It is a fun way to engage with students during the summer. Following the ESY summer theme, we are time traveling to various Olympic years and locations, even the future.”

During the OTlympics, students participate in events to challenge fine motor skills, visual motor skills, visual perceptual skills, handwriting skills, gross motor skills, coordination, technology skills, sensory regulation skills, executive functioning skills, selfcare skills, and pre-vocational skills, Ms. Geise said. Even the Calais dogs join in on the fun!

During Animal Assisted Interventions sessions, Calais AAI dogs Dunkin, Gideon, and Orbit participate in their own OTlympic events that mirror the events our students are competing in. Some of the AAI events include balancing, dog puzzles, knocking items over, and using their paws and nose to deal out cards. “This engagement between the students and the dogs brings the sessions to a new level,” Ms. Geise said.

AAI handler Susan Greenbaum said the students and AAI dogs enjoy the OTlympics because Ms. Geise makes it fun. “Each session she appears in those glasses with the Olympic Flag behind her and a flag of a country and a sign with the year, so students learn something about the country and the Olympic games.”