Wednesday, March 1st began as an ordinary day for the students at Brighton High School; but it was soon transformed as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Mary Skipper, Special Olympics Massachusetts President & CEO Mary Beth McMahon, news stations, guest speakers, and student athletes took to the gymnasium for the announcement of a new partnership between Special Olympic Massachusetts and BPS. Upon first walking into the gym, the sound of power drills and metal clashing echoed as locker room construction was underway. This was shortly drowned out by a wave of cheering as students…

The new relationship will focus on providing a more inclusive environment across BPS schools and programs. As a result, participating schools will implement customized Unified Champion School programs, which offer more opportunities for students with and without disabilities a chance to play, learn, and lead together. MARLBOROUGH, MASS – On February 22, 2022, the Boston Public School (BPS) district and Special Olympics Massachusetts (SOMA) signed a first-of-its-kind partnership agreement. The partnership agreement, formally known as a Memorandum of Understanding, details the commitments from both parties to bolster special education services with a focus on inclusion. Boston Public Schools will gain…

Author: Ali Phaneuf When Special Olympics cheerleaders stepped onto the field during the last local flag football game of the season at Worcester State University, they were met with a wave of support from football players, coaches, families, and friends. After four weeks of practice, the eight athletes performed a routine that held two separate cheers and brand new skills. The dedication and hard work of three sophomore students at Worcester State University (Chanelle LaBossiere, Kelsey Houle, and Iza Julie Marques) made this program possible. “Because of the pandemic last year, we weren’t really able to get involved in…

Author: Quinn Roddy On Thursday, October 14th, Norwood Public Schools organized a district-wide opening ceremony and inclusive walk to demonstrate their participation in Special Olympics MA’s Unified Champion Schools program. The Norwood school district recently became a Unified Partner with Special Olympics MA and they kicked off the new school year in style with an opening ceremony that included five elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. While the students and faculty were the main participants in the ceremonies, the Norwood Police and Fire Department played an important role in making sure the torch got from school…

Diana Hill is a Special Education teacher at Wilmington High School and a co-organizer of the Wilmington and Burlington Unified School Day Games which typically happens each spring. Unfortunately due to Covid- 19 the School Day Games, which would have celebrated its fourth year, was cancelled. Although Hill was at home and not organizing the event for her students, she still wanted to find a way to be involved with Special Olympics. When the Run, Bike, Walk program was announced in July she jumped on board and has already surpassed her $1,000 fundraising goal! “I love this organization and…

Unified sports is a program that allows students with disabilities to get involved in sports as well as interact with students who do not have a disability. Unified Sports in schools, high schools, middle schools, or elementary schools is the kind of program that can make a student with a disability feel included, spread awareness, and help change the life of any athlete that participates on the program. In 2016, my alma mater, Auburn High School, established their Unified Sports program to help promote inclusion and respect for their students who have an intellectual or physical disability. The program…

On November 23rd Plymouth 400 Inc. held its 5th annual Illuminate Thanksgiving program. This year’s theme was inclusion. “This inspirational event celebrates youth, inclusivity and the act of giving thanks by giving back to your community and to the world around you,” according to a press release from organizers. The event includes a presentation of “Who Illuminates Your Life” essay contest winners and the “One Small Candle” award ceremony. This award is presented to an individual or group who touches the lives of many and this year the award went to Special Olympics Massachusetts and the Unified Sports teams…

We have challenged all 100+ Unified Champion Schools in Massachusetts to show us their school spirit! Each school received two posters to proudly display, recognizing that they are a Unified Champion School. You can learn more about Unified Champion Schools on our website! We received many fantastic entries, but had to choose just a few finalists. Now it’s your turn to choose our winning school! Visit our poll to cast your vote. You can vote once per day. The winning school will be announced on Monday October 28th, 2019 and will receive a pep rally kit! Join our schools…

In July, several youth leaders from Massachusetts had the opportunity to attend an invite only 50th anniversary event hosted by Special Olympics International at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport. Part of this weekend included a youth summit where they met fellow youth leaders, educators, celebrities and Special Olympics staff, all on a mission to make schools more inclusive. The youth leaders from Massachusetts, Bryna St. Pierre, Emma Ganley, Elyse Whittemore and Sydney Meininger joined students from many other states to share ideas about how they can make their communities more inclusive and realizing how much power they have as…

This year, 16 Massachusetts High Schools have received the honor of being called a National Banner School. These schools have met or exceeded national standards of excellence in the areas of Unified sports, whole school engagement and inclusive youth leadership. They join a group of 10 Massachusetts schools which received this honor in 2018. These schools will be presented with a banner to hang in their school and be included on a list of other schools around the country who have achieved this distinguished status. Once a school has become a Unified Champion School they are eligible to apply…