As the school year is coming to a close for Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools around the country, Unified Sports teams are gearing up for final competition—some even bringing in Unified PE to their schools for the first time. Check out some of their stories.
Britney from Hawaii
“This past weekend May 3-4 was the HHSAA State Track and Field Meet at the War Memorial Stadium. I and 11 other Maui High School students from the recreational leadership class were able to compete in the two unified relays: 4x100 and 4x400. We had other teams from different islands which included Pahoa High School, Moanalua High School and Kaimuki High School. I’ve been able to compete at the state track meet for unified relays for the past three years. Out of the three years, I would say this year was the best because of the people I was surrounded by and being able to run on my island in front of my family and friends. Shoutout to my coaches, Jessica Adkins and Kacy Licos for pushing us hard in preparation for the state track meet!”
Donzell and Maggie from Illinois
“This past weekend I had a track meet and participated in the 100m dash. I took 2nd place! We are having unified track meet next week.” - Donzel
“This past weekend my schools unified track team when to opening of spring games. Quinn, my brother, participated in his first high school track meet and took 3rd. I couldn’t be more proud.” - Maggie
Capital High School from Montana
This year, Capital High School offered their first official Unified PE course in Montana! Congrats to Mike Burk and his amazing students for starting something great! Check out their video...
Three million young people participate in 6,500 Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® across the US with support from the US Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education. These young people make up the Unified Generation. They are taking personal ownership within their schools and communities to ensure that everyone has the right to play, learn and live together through shared leadership opportunities of students with and without intellectual disabilities. To learn more about the Unified Generation, visit: https://www.generationunified.org/