Congrats #UnifiedGeneration Class of 2019!
By: Caroline Chevat
Tags: Education, Graduation, Leadership, Inclusion

Across the country, students are taking final exams and wrapping up another year of learning. For graduating seniors of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools®, it is a time to reflect on how they have been impacted by going to a Unified Champion School and how they will take what they’ve learned about inclusion into the next chapter.

Read some of their stories below:

Ponaganset High School Seniors (Rhode Island)

At Ponaganset High School, each senior is expected to present on a topic that has significant meaning to them. Seven seniors chose to make their topics around inclusion and Unified Champion Schools. Watch the video below to learn more. These students are not just involved in Unified activities but are leaders of their senior class ranging from National Honor Society members to Ideal Chieftain Award recipients; a high honor at the school.

From left to right: Beth Keeling (Teacher), Grace Wells-Dannenfelser, Ethan Fraatz, Morgan Bigwood, Jenna Obiurka, Kate DeCotis, Capri Martinelli, Jennifer Paolantonio (Teacher). Below: Theo Mihailides.

Britney (Hawaii)

“I’ll be attending the university of Hawaii studying early childhood education in the fall and at graduation I received my diploma cover (I was given my diploma at graduation practice) I also received a certificate for being an CTE Completer (Career and Technical Education Pathway) and a certificate for magna cum laude which means having an cumulative grade point average of 3.5+ to 3.8.” - Britney

At Britney’s high school they have a leis ceremony; a tradition from Hawaii.

Kyle (Montana)

Kyle Norman (left), graduated from high school on June 1st. Below is a picture of him with his best friend and fellow US Youth Ambassador Jazlyn who is currently a college student (right). This is what Jazlyn had to say about Kyle:

“Three words I would use to describe Kyle would be inspiring, caring, and hardworking. I met him after having his mom as a teacher in High School. Kyle always makes me laugh and is someone I consider a great friend. He is very supportive of everyone. You can always count on Kyle!”

Kyle and Jazlyn posing for a picture at Kyle’s Graduation.

Natalie (Utah)

During her senior year, Natalie has learned new skills to help her find her voice through social media. She even traveled with her best friend and Unified partner Katie to the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi to be social media correspondents for Special Olympics North America. She hopes to continue this after graduation with her new podcast, “Inclusive Heroes”that she will co-host with Katie.

Katie (left) and Natalie (right) posing at Natalie’s graduation, which also happened to be Best Friends Day!

About Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools:

Three million young people participate in 6,500 Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® across the US with support from the US Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education. These young people make up the Unified Generation. They are taking personal ownership within their schools and communities to ensure that everyone has the right to play, learn and live together through shared leadership opportunities of students with and without intellectual disabilities. To learn more about the Unified Generation, visit: https://www.generationunified.org/.