Four Pennsylvania Schools Receive National Recognition from Special Olympics for Achievements with Inclusion
(Norristown, PA, September 18, 2025) – Special Olympics has announced that four Pennsylvania Unified Champion Schools are receiving national banner recognition for their efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities. The schools are receiving this distinguished status because of meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.
The primary activities within these standards include Special Olympics Unified Sports® where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates, inclusive youth leadership, and whole school engagement. National banner schools should also demonstrate they are self-sustaining or have a plan in place to sustain these activities into the future.
There is a total of five new and recertified 2025 National Banner Unified Champion Schools selected including the following from Pennsylvania:
NEW NATIONAL BANNER UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOLS
Armstrong Jr/Sr High School – Armstrong County
Baldwin High School – Allegheny County
Perkiomen Valley High School – Montgomery County
Plum Senior High School – Allegheny County
Every four years, the National Banner Unified Champion Schools need to re-apply and be evaluated by a national panel to keep this prestigious honour. This year, one Special Olympics Pennsylvania National Banner Unified Champion Schools were recertified:
RECERTIFIED NATIONAL BANNER UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOLS
Souderton Area High School – Montgomery County
"We are proud to have our Unified Champion Schools in more than 500 schools around the state and we are thrilled to add four schools in Pennsylvania who have achieved national banner status and see one school earn its re-certification,” said Matt Aaron, President & CEO, Special Olympics Pennsylvania. “These schools are joining an elite group of 32 schools in Pennsylvania who are on the forefront of building not only inclusive schools, but inclusive communities.”
Unified Champion Schools is a strategy for schools Pre-K through university that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create accepting school environments, utilizing three interconnected components: Interscholastic Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Whole School Engagement. As many as 19.5 million young people are taking part in inclusive experiences through Special Olympics. National Banner Unified Champion Schools also are able to demonstrate that they are self-sustaining or have a plan in place to sustain these activities into the future.
The Unified Champion Schools program is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. Research has proven this program to be an effective and replicable means to providing students, both with and without disabilities, the opportunity to form positive social relationships and promote a socially inclusive school climate.*
Among the findings were:
• 94% of teachers/school staff say the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program increases opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to work together.
• 94% of participants said involvement in Unified Sports made them healthier.
• 92% credit the program with reducing bullying, teasing, and offensive language.
*Evaluation conducted by the Center for Social Development and Education (CSDE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
More than 500 schools currently participate in Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming in Pennsylvania as part of more than 10,800 schools across the country engaged in the program. This programming wouldn’t be possible without the support of Special Olympics Pennsylvania Unified Champion School sponsors: Aramark, Dicks, PIAA, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education – Bureau of Special Education.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Hailey Euston, Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications, 908-239-2294,
About Special Olympics Pennsylvania
Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) provides year-round training and competition in 21 Olympic-type sports to more than 15,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities or closely related developmental disabilities. For more information about how you can join “The Inclusion Revolution,” visit www.specialolympicspa.org.