January 5, 2000
Aspermont youth set loving example
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___ASPERMONT--In balloting at Aspermont High School this fall, Tara Callicoatte tied for homecoming queen.
___What makes that notable is that Tara has Down's Syndrome.
___Her acceptance at the school is a direct result of the loving attitude displayed by the youth group at First Baptist Church, according to her mother, Sue Callicoatte.
TARA CALLICOATTE (right front) poses with the homecoming court at Aspermont High School.
___"The kid's have always been real sweet to her," Mrs. Callicoate said.
___Tara's youth minister at First Baptist Church, Mark Bird, agrees that the youth group is very accepting.
___"For a small town, they have a real open-heart policy," he said.
___Despite her disability, the youth treat Tara like one of the group, Callicoate said. In fact, the youth have been so accepting of Tara that she didn't realize there was any difference between herself and her friends until a few got driver's licenses.
___"She didn't know she had Down's Syndrome, and she didn't know she was any different from any of the other kids," her mother explained.
___A lot of that stems from the fact that Tara is an outgoing girl. She plays basketball and works out with the team.
___"She doesn't play much, but she cheers for those who are playing. The girls make sure Tara is included in the huddles, sometimes putting their arms around her shoulders and pulling her in," Callicoate said.
___Tara is just as active in church activities, attending youth camp and all the other events.
___"We just include her in everything we do," Bird said. "We expect the same things from her that we do from everyone else, and she does really well."
___Bird's daughter, Melinda, is Tara's best friend. She said she enjoys their times together.
___"We share a lot of interests like singing, cheering and just playing around," she said. "Tara just is a lot of fun to be around. She always compliments you. She's just one of those people who are easy to get along with."
___As further evidence of this embracing attitude, Callicoate tells the story of one day when a group of kids were sitting around at school and a boy started teasing Tara.
___She turned to the boy and said, "Hey, don't mess with the homecoming queen."
___
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