10/13/2026
Anyone driving by Woodland Schools on October 8 and 9 couldn’t help but notice something big was happening. Flags were hung, portable toilets were stationed by the track, and buses lined the grass, bringing visitors from dozens of schools. Thursday was the annual Woodland Cross Country Invitational, an after-school event hosting 15 schools. Then, Friday brought the Goodwill Games, hosted for the third year in a row. The event welcomed students from seven other schools to join Woodland’s special education students in a series of competitive events. Athletes from Advance, Bloomfield, Bell City, Dexter, Leopold, Meadow Heights, and Zalma attended, the largest number of schools since Woodland started hosting the event.
High school helpers spent the morning preparing for the excitement. They set up six stations, each focusing on a different motor skill, from throwing to running to aiming at a target. The event was coordinated by the special education department, including speech pathologist Sarah Garner, middle school SPED teacher Brandi Killian, SPED director Tamara Miles, and SPED secretary Ashley Vance. As buses started arriving and Woodland’s participants streamed out of the building, excitement swelled. Athletes headed for the parachutes, frisbees, and balls littering the infield for a fun warm up session.
Upbeat music provided opportunities for showing off dance moves. A pick up game of football formed with volunteer Coach Landon Watkins as the favorite quarterback. Some kids were all about the fun, but others took the competition more seriously. Caleb Wilkinson, a junior from Woodland, had been out at the same track for the cross country meet the night before. He had watched his older brother, Seth, earn a medal in his race. Now, Caleb followed Seth, who coached his younger brother through the same warm up exercises he had done to prepare for his own race. Caleb, like many other participants, had a large cheering section. The games were open to spectators and cheering was a common theme throughout the day. Freshman Lindyn Devenport had waited on the edge of her seat for the last few days in anticipation of the games. Already pumped, she was extra excited to see her grandma arrive to cheer her on.
Student-athletes competed at each of the six stations, rotating to their next event when “Eye of the Tiger” played on the loudspeaker. Students tossed beanbags, footballs, kickballs and volleyballs. They ran–or wheeled–in straight and zig zag races. For each event, they received a ribbon for their efforts, competing for the coveted blue, red, and white ribbons that signified a finish in the top three. Teachers who had been to the games before figured out a system to keep these prized possessions safe - some collected and held the ribbons. Most safety pinned them to their students’ shirts so they could display their awards. Ribbon stacks flapped in the breeze, growing larger with each rotation.
A food truck and sno cone stand provided refreshments for athletes, spectators, and volunteers. Then, when the competitions were over, everyone sat down for a picnic lunch. Hot dogs, chips, cookies, and juice were a welcome sight after the action-packed morning. The sack lunches were donated by Harps and Connection Point Church, and prepared by volunteers from CPC. Finally, red-cheeked athletes trickled back to the classrooms and buses, tired from their performances but looking forward to the next chance to compete. Woodland heads to the Dexter Goodwill Games in the spring.
