Unified Champions comes to high school

Unified Champions

Unified Champions comes to high school

By Staff Reports

Unified Champions, a program through Special Olympics, Inc., is a new elective offered at Dripping Springs High School. The program partners students from special education and general education to work together and learn from each other in a supportive and interactive environment.

The elective is tied in with Unified Champions in Schools (UCS), and promotes acceptance and inclusion among students with and without intellectual disabilities.

Together, students engage in advocacy, leadership, fitness, and sports opportunities. It is a student-driven program that includes planning and hosting events and activities. The week of Nov. 26-30 was designated as “Unified Champions Week” and included lunchtime activities to promote student interactions and an end-of-the-week pep rally.

The constant theme of UCS is inclusion, so students of varying abilities participate in every opportunity as peers and equals, with the goal of forming true friendships and capitalizing on the unique talents and abilities of each person. During class students receive lessons on topics such as inclusion, awareness, and advocacy, while enjoying fitness and sport opportunities.

Coach Daniel Foster is the Unified Champions teacher. "This is another elective class that these students choose to take, and it has a sports emphasis,” Foster said. “Students come in here and they're part of a team, and they have participated in bowling, volleyball, and right now we're doing basketball."

Carter King, a DSHS Sophomore, said, “For me this class has been outstanding, both the typically developing students and the students with disabilities have taught me so much about life that I would've never learned if I was not a part of this class."

In addition to the regular class time, some students also entered in the Special Olympic Area Bowling Tournament Nov. 3. Eight students participated in the "Unified Doubles" competition, which includes one Special Olympics athlete with a Unified partner. This is the first time Dripping Springs has entered the Unified competition.

"They're becoming one, they're teammates; it's a family thing,” Foster said. “Our students thought they would be teaching our special-needs kids, but now they're saying 'Coach, they're teaching me so much.'”