Unified Sports is a club where students help special education students come together and play sports during advisory and blue club days. Due to the clubs continuous outstanding performance, Special Olympics has labeled the school as a Nationally Recognized Unified Champion School, a prestigious award only given to 44 schools nationwide this year.
Different from Unified PE, a regular class that is more integrated and consists of playing a variety of sports, Unified Sports is a club held outside of classes that mainly includes basketball and track. Unified Sports members are currently in their basketball season and helped host the 2024 Winter Pep Rally with SCA. During the spring, Unified Sports will make the transition into track, showing off the talents of all their athletes.
“I think it’s really important to help the kids and allow them to have the same opportunities everyone else has,” sophomore Willa Transeau said. “Playing sports unites everyone together.”
The club begins each meeting with roll calls and then breaks off into separate training groups where special education students practice skills like learning how to dribble, pass, and shoot a basketball. This allows everyone in the club to create friendships and bonds with one another.
“It feels really good being able to connect with new people, make new friends, and help the kids experience normal stuff and just be kids,” senior Madylyn O’Neill said.
Unified Sports members enjoy being part of the club and love helping the Unified students participate in games and tournaments. The team usually competes against other school’s Unified Sports teams during the halftime of varsity girl’s basketball tournaments.
“I love it. I think it’s just a great club to be in,” sophomore Nivaeh Raffenbeul said. “We have a lot of fun. It’s kind of a smaller group, so I think it would be fun if we expanded and had a lot more schools to play against.”
Special education teacher Ashley Dundas and P.E. teacher Jillian Basanes share the same goal as Unified club members to further expand the Unified Sports community. They encourage all students in the school to find ways to attend the meetings as soon as their schedule allows.
“I would like to grow the program and show the school community that we have a great group of kids,” Ms. Basanes said. “We provide inclusive opportunities and bring a sense of belonging and leadership within our school community.”
Unified Sports continues to empower special education students to participate in sports and take on the spotlight, regardless of any obstacles in their way.
“My job as a special educator is to prove to people that differences don’t actually make people different,” Ms. Dundas said. “It just makes them special.”
