Elementary school is a time for learning, growth, building friendships, and having fun. Staff and students at Centennial Elementary are working together to create an inclusive environment for all students through their Unified Sports Program and other school activities. 

Amanda Krell, SSN teacher, and Jillian Vickland, paraprofessional, have been instrumental in developing the Unified Sports Program at Centennial Elementary. Vickland started the program at another elementary school in the district and it was so successful that she knew she wanted to bring Unified to Centennial. “I love being able to include my SSN students in sports and integrate general education students. I love seeing the smiles on my students’ faces as they make new friends and take part in something they may not have been able to be a part of before,” Vickland said. 

There are many benefits to having an inclusive learning environment, not only for students with special needs, but for ALL students. When all students are included in sports and other activities, they are able to learn from each other and accept each other’s differences. Unified Sports provide students with special needs an equal opportunity to participate in the same types of programs and activities as those without special needs. 

As a paraprofessional, Vickland is working with students first hand and sees how Unified Sports can positively impact the school community. “Unified Sports helps the school culture by promoting inclusion, compassion, empathy, and understanding. Unified Sports opens hearts and minds and helps students realize that differences are not as important as how we are all alike. The need to be accepted and included is the same for all kids,” Vickland said. 

Last year, Krell and Vickland started the Unified Program with one season of basketball and it was such a success that they decided to break up the program into three seasons for this year. They just wrapped up the fall season with Unified football and they’ll offer Unified basketball in the winter, and Unified soccer in the spring. 

For this inaugural Unified football season, they had roughly 23 participants, 13 athletes and 10 partners. They had four practices and one game where the whole school was able to come and watch.“My favorite moment from the whole season was at the end of our football game where the whole school joined our partners and athletes in our end of game/practice cheer. The entirety of Centennial cheered ‘1, 2, 3, GO HUSKIES!’ It gave me goosebumps and I cried a little after. It was so nice to see everyone get as excited as they did at watching kiddos of varying disability levels play football,” Krell shared. 

There is a lot that goes into making a Unified Sports Program successful and it takes the support of the school, families, and community. Krell credits the success of the program to the involvement and support of Centennial’s PTO President and Unified Coach, Brooke Sessions. Krell said, “Brooke and her husband were the coaches and referees during the whole football season and we would not have been able to accomplish what we did last year and this year without them. Brooke is so kind and patient with all of our kiddos and has high expectations for their abilities to play during each Unified season.” 

Even though it’s only the second year for the Unified Sports Program at Centennial, it has already helped the school culture significantly and it has inspired other positive methods of inclusion. “Our SSN students and some of our resource students who have participated in Unified have been welcomed and included with open arms from all the students in our building. Because of the Unified Program, we have added an “inclusion” category to our PAWSitive office referral system, as well as adding an “inclusion” category for our monthly awards. Our school administration talked about inclusion during our September assemblies with the whole building. Unified has been vital in integrating inclusion into Centennial and thus the community,” Krell said. 

Moving forward, Krell is excited to see how she can continue to integrate the SSN program throughout the school and hopes to make next year’s Unified Program even bigger and better. 

Two Trail Ridge Middle School (TRMS) Unified Bowling teams won the gold and silver medals at this year’s Special Olympics State Bowling event. 

On Friday, November 18, 2023, just over 600 bowlers from across the state came together to showcase their bowling skills and celebrate the joy of the sport. 

TRMS has a robust Unified Bowling program that is led by Becci Warren, special education teacher and Unified coach. While two teams won the top spots, about 20 athletes (Significant Support Needs students) and partners (general education students) participated in this season of Unified Bowling. They practiced at Centennial Lanes on Tuesdays after school from September – November and competed against each other and other schools in the state. 

Warren loves to see her students working together and having fun. She shared one of her favorite moments from the season, “One of the athletes needed to use a rack because the ball was too heavy for him to bowl with and his partner helped him set up and then the athlete pushed the ball down the lane. It was rolling slowly and seemed to last forever. Then all of a sudden, STRIKE. Both the athlete and the partner were jumping up and down. It was such a great moment and so cool to see.”

Trail Ridge Middle School is a Special Olympics National Unified Champion School and was one of 37 schools nationwide to be selected for the 2022 ESPN Honor Roll School Award. 

In order to earn the national banner school designation, the school must demonstrate a commitment to inclusion by achieving 10 standards of excellence. This is accomplished by offering unified sports, unified clubs/groups, as well as getting the whole school engaged in promoting inclusion. To maintain their banner status, they’ll have to reapply every four years. 

There are so many benefits to having an inclusive program, especially at the middle school level. “Unified is an opportunity for students with significant needs to participate in extracurricular activities with other students who have similar disabilities. It also is an opportunity for students without disabilities to develop leadership skills and be the best cheerleaders for the athletes. It creates an atmosphere of positivity in the school and in the community,” Warren said. 

In addition to a strong SSN and Unified bowling program, TRMS offers a variety of Special Olympic Unified Sports, such as basketball and soccer.

Lasting friendships between students with intellectual disabilities and those without are being formed at Mead Middle School through their Best Buddies program. 

Best Buddies is a global organization whose mission is to help build one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities through shared interests, experiences, and activities. 

Kristina Miller, special education teacher, is the driving force behind the Best Buddies program at Mead Middle School and sees firsthand how the program is helping to create a more inclusive school environment. “I saw so many general education students who wanted to help my Significant Support Needs (SSN) students in classes and they didn’t know the best way to approach them and include them without treating them differently. The Best Buddies program gives students a path to form friendships that often extend outside the school day. One of my students had a birthday party and a lot of their “buddies” attended. It’s great to see real friendships being formed,” Miller said. 

This school year, over 80 general education students signed up to be a “buddy.” Once students are paired with a “buddy” they are asked to do different things throughout the school day like sit with their “buddy” at lunch and help them in a general education class. Miller said, “It’s so great to see my SSN students’ confidence boosted because they do have those friendships. They don’t feel separate or different. They can walk into a classroom and have about 10 kids greet them. They eat lunch with other kids and play outside with other kids. Inclusion is the biggest benefit to helping kids be successful at school.”

“Buddies” attend once a month meetings where they plan fun activities. They often plan events around holidays and recently had a Halloween party where students painted pumpkins, played games and decorated cookies. The goal is to bring students together in a fun way. “The Unified Program not only benefits the kids in the SSN programs, it gives our whole student body an opportunity to be more inclusive and more sensitive to others’ needs,” Miller shared. 

In addition to the Best Buddies program, Mead Middle School offers Unified bowling and basketball. They are being recognized as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School for their commitment to providing an inclusive learning environment. On December 21, they’ll be officially recognized by the Special Olympics and receive their banner.