SPECIAL OLYMPICS PENNSYLVANIA CELEBRATES HISTORIC 500TH UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOL!
Special Olympics Pennsylvania reached an historic milestone as it now has 500 schools in 61 counties throughout the state that offer fully inclusive Unified Champion Schools (UCS) programs, with West Hills Intermediate School becoming the 500th. Students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities come together as equal peers through Unified Sports and inclusive leadership. Together these programs promote the values of meaningful inclusion, respect, and understanding. This contributes to fostering school communities where all are welcome and accepted. This event will include a press conference, a presentation by two student athletes on a Unified Sports team and more.
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The Unified Champion Schools journey in Pennsylvania began in 2008 with just four middle schools in the School District of Philadelphia. Over the course of the past 17 years, more than 500 elementary, middle, and high schools from 61 counties have partnered with Special Olympics Pennsylvania to promote socially inclusive environments though Unified Sports and youth leadership clubs. SOPA and our partner schools have seen the tremendous impact on students and school culture through their participation in UCS - nationally, 95% of teachers feel it leads to more socially inclusive environments and 92% of teachers see a reduction in bullying, teasing, and the use of offensive language. To learn more about our UCS program, visit here.
Our UCS program is possible due to the support and sponsorship of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation, Aramark, the US Department of Education, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania/PA Department of Education and hundreds of other organizations and individuals all over the Commonwealth.