Two Warwick elementary schools- Hoxsie and Park- are preparing to make history at 3:30 p.m. at Warwick Veterans Memorial Middle School by becoming the first elementary schools in the state to play a Unified Basketball game.

Unified sports, according to Special Olympics, is aimed at unifying students with intellectual disabilities and students without them through a collaborative experience such as a sports team.

Hoxsie principal Gary McCoombs, the coach of the Hawks’ team, said the team got a taste of the Unified Basketball environment on Tuesday, where they attended a game between Warwick Vets’ and Winman’s unified teams.

“Vets does an amazing job over there with their unified sports- they had every student in grade 6 and 7 in the bleachers all supporting each other, and it’s a great inclusive environment,” McCoombs said. “The kids are doing a tremendous job supporting each other, cheering each other on.”

McCoombs gave credit to Vets coach Lindsey Cuglietta for helping with the new elementary programs.

Over the past few weeks, Hoxsie’s teams have learned the fundamentals of dribbling, passing and shooting through drills and scrimmages. McCoombs said, though, that it took a while for his players to learn how to transition from offense to defense.

With part of the spirit of Unified Basketball being about helping others overcome challenges, Hoxsie fifth-grade teacher William Potter helped the students come up with a solution.

“Whenever we yell ‘SpongeBob,’ the kids know to run from offense to defense,” McCoombs said. “They’re learning positions, they’re learning the basic basketball skills, and most importantly, they’re learning that unified sports is about teamwork and good sportsmanship and patience and compassion and the kids have been awesome with that here.”

Following that game, Vets’ gym will play host to another contest between the Warwick Vets Unified Team and members of Warwick’s administration.

McCoombs, who will be playing with the administration, said that while he hadn’t seen everyone playing in tomorrow’s game in action on the court yet, two names stuck out to him as being key players.

“Mr. Dillon (Brian Dillon, principal of Robertson Elementary School) is going to be our ringer,” McCoombs said. “He’s a great basketball player and a great athlete, so he’ll have to carry us. We have some height with [School Committee Chair] Shaun Galligan as well, so he’ll be able to get us some rebounds.”

Other participants on the administration side include Director of Elementary Education Patti Cousineau, Wyman Elementary School principal Ryan Rafanelli and Park principal Daniel Sylvestre.

McCoombs said that he was proud of both his students and Park’s students for showing their character throughout the practices that have led up to today’s big moment.

“I’m so incredibly proud of the students that are participating in Unified Basketball, because unified sports is just so heartwarming and it tells the type of character a person has,” McCoombs said. “I’m just proud of them for being a part of such groundbreaking history in the City of Warwick.”