Words by Olivia Minnier, Photos by Kelly Jacoby

Entering Olentangy Berlin High School’s Tumble and Take Down gymnastics senior night, all eyes are on the girl with the space buns and dark hair. With a cheering section that seemed to take the entire in gym, she appears to be in her element. Accepting fist bumps, gifts of Cocoa Puffs and other cereals, she taps her hair buns in joyful bliss.

As she walks up to compete in her routines, the crowd goes wild. Her parents, and independent provider, and siblings are behind her beaming with pride at her confidence.

Megan Schirtzinger, 19, is a graduating senior at Olentangy Berlin High School and communicates non-verbally She uses some verbal communication but largely communicates by using her own personal style, which is a combination of some American Sign Language and her way of indicating thoughts and feelings to others in gesture.

At school, she utilizes a communication device to help her complete assignments and participate in class.

Despite these the obstacles, Megan has created a close-knit network of support that has adapted to her unique communication style and has gotten to know her well.

A big part of that support network has been her teammates on Olentangy Berlin’s cheerleading team and the gymnastics team.

Shirtzinger’s mom, Dawn Schirtzinger, reached out to the cheerleading team before Megan’s junior year to see if they would be interested in having her daughter join, and they were.

Megan started to be an active participant in cheering her senior year and became close with the girls after attending many sleepovers, outings, and events. Once cheer season ended, her teammates who were also a part of the gymnastics program, encouraged her to join them on the team.

Dawn said her daughter has had an incredible experience on the team.

“They have fully accepted her for who she is, as one of their own,” she said.

The girls have helped Megan choreograph her floor, beam, and bar routines so she could not only be a part of the team, but actively compete as well.

Dawn said this was a vastly different experience than the one Megan had with Special Olympics. While she made a great group of friends, which she refers to as the “HA HO Squad,” she did not fully gain the comradery that she has with her Olentangy Team.

Dawn said not only has her daughter made friendships but has improved drastically since joining the cheer and gymnastics teams for Olentangy Berlin High School.

Megan has shown improvement in her expressive language, overall physical health, and most importantly, her confidence.

In a huge show of confidence, Megan led a cheer right in front of the student section during a football game this past fall. The student section quickly turned the cheer around, cheering directly for Megan herself, making it one of Megan’s favorite moments of the school year.

Looking forward beyond senior year, Megan is excited to join Olentangy’s ACT program and continue her education in transition skills.

She’s incredibly excited about her future and is using her newly gained confidence and is learning additional tools to help move her forward or as said, in her words with her chosen senior quote, “play the cards you are dealt, because every hand can be a winner,”