For one day this week, students from United Preschool got to be Olympians.

Albert Lea High School’s National Honor Society hosted the preschoolers during two different sessions Wednesday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, as a part of the Special Olympics Young Athletes Expo.

The expo teaches basic athletic skills such as catching, throwing and kicking. Preschool students got to run obstacle courses, play catch, throw bean bags through Hula-Hoops and practice running backwards, among other activities, all while being paired up with high school NHS members.

Thirty-eight preschoolers attended the morning session, and 34 participated in the afternoon slot. About 60 NHS students were in both sessions to partner up with the preschoolers as well.

United has participated in the expo before, but this was the first time Albert Lea’s NHS took part in it. If NHS faculty adviser Gina Klennert has anything to say about it, it won’t be the last.

“It’s just great to see the kids do their thing,” said Klennert, a physical education teacher at ALHS. “Seeing the students interact, it’s just awesome. That’s the best word to describe it.”

Klennert is finishing up her first year teaching at the high school and said that getting NHS involved with the expo is a part of the new direction she hopes to take the student organization in. When she first started getting involved, NHS primarily focused on individual projects. She hopes to get more group projects incorporated to give students more leadership opportunities and experience.

When asked whether she hoped the high school would host the expo again next year, Klennert summed up her response in just one word.

“Definitely.”

NHS president and high school senior Preston Smith echoed Klennert’s sentiment.

“It’s a lot of fun. We’re really enjoying it,” he said.

Smith will graduate in a few weeks but hopes that NHS will continue its partnership with United and the expo in the future. He said the program gave him and his classmates the opportunity to demonstrate what NHS is all about: leadership.

“It’s not just a few kids participating, every kid’s involved. … It’s challenging them, and we get to be an example,” Smith said.

Kelly Goskeson, a parent of two United students, also had nothing but positive things to say about the expo.

“It’s just great, and super fun to see,” she said.

Goskeson’s daughters Morgan, 5, and Marlee, 3, both participated in the program. She said they’d been talking about it for weeks, and could barely get to sleep Tuesday night. Both girls will be at a different school next year, otherwise Goskeson said they’d definitely come back for the expo.

Goskeson liked that the program gave her daughters the chance to be around even more great role models and taught them healthy habits.

“It’s promoting health and exercise in young children, and that’s fantastic.”