UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOLS
Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) Unified Champion Schools is a strategy to activate youth, engage educators and promote school communities of acceptance and inclusion where all young people are agents of change.
UCS is currently in over 150 schools across Arizona from Elementary to Universities. Reach out today to join the movement at your school
Who can become a Unified Champion School?
Any school can become a Unified Champion School! Public, private, charter, pre-k, elementary, middle school, high school, college or university, schools with or without special education programs—whatever the setting, if you’re interested in joining the Unified movement, we’ll work with you to make it happen.
What does my school have to do to become a Unified Champion School?
Unified Champion Schools implement the three components of Unified Schools into their setting and programming: Inclusive Student Leadership, Unified Sports and Whole School Engagement. All three of these crucial elements shift the culture of a school towards inclusion. Once they’re active, a school is considered a Unified Champion School. Special Olympics Arizona’s state office will support your efforts and make the movement easy and accessible, no matter who or where you are. Are you ready to join the Inclusion Revolution!
Check out these two schools to learn more!
NATIONAL BANNER UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOLS
A Special Olympics Unified Champion School has an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. 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®
- Inclusive Youth Leadership and
- Whole-School Engagement.
National Banner Unified Champion Schools should also be able to demonstrate they are self-sustainable or have a plan in place to sustain these activities into the future.
The expectation of this recognition is that the 10 standards are continuously being met, year after year. To ensure this sustainability, schools reapply for banner status every 4 years.
Applications open every Spring, please contact Unified Champion School staff for more information.
Congratulations to the class of 2024 National Banner Unified Champion Schools:
- Liberty High School
- Cibola High School
Congratulations to the RENEWED class of 2019, now 2023 National Banner Unified Champion Schools:
- Trevor G. Browne High School
- Canyon View High School
10 Standards of Excellence:
Program Manager
UCS REPORTING
Why Does Special Olympics Arizona Ask You To Report?
The U.S. Department of Education and its Office of Special Education Programs grants money to Special Olympics North America each year to develop Unified Champion Schools. This grant money is then distributed to all Special Olympics state programs, including Special Olympics Arizona. The amount of grant funding we receive each year varies and depends on our grant application objectives and goals for the school year, as well as our work done in the previous year.
Special Olympics Arizona must report twice a year on our progress in achieving the goals and objectives outlined in our grant application. It holds us accountable and also allows the U.S. Department of Education to see all the good happening in our state!
Midterm reporting is from August to December. End of year is from January to May.
Thank you for helping us secure our funding so we can continue to support your Schools and programs!
If you have any questions, reach out to Unified Champion School Staff:
FUNDRAISING STRATEGIES
Unified Champion Schools Program Funds help schools implement a combination of effective activities that foster system-wide change. Young people and adults are equipped with tools and training to combat stereotypes, eliminate hurtful language, and foster safe and healthy activities and interactions. Special Olympics Arizona Unified Champion Schools is generously supported by the Office of Special Education programs at the U.S. Department of Education.
The following strategy relates to financial sustainability for Unified Champion Schools:
Year 1: 100% of Unified Champion School program related expenses will be covered by SOAZ*
Year 2: 50% of Unified Champion School program related expenses will be covered by SOAZ, 50% of expenses will be covered by the school
Year 3: 25% of Unified Champion School program related expenses will be covered by SOAZ, 75% of expenses will be covered by the school
Year 4: 0% of Unified Champion School program related expenses will be covered by SOAZ, 100% of expenses will be covered by the school
During the first two years, the school should learn and grow through the Unified Champion School program and gain the tools they need to become self-sustaining.
*Within reason and stipulations apply and are subject to change without notice due to grant funding regulations.
This publication is supported by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA), in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $6.1 million with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit opa.hhs.gov
UNIFIED SPORTS
Special Olympics Unified Sports is a fully inclusive or fitness program that combines an approximately equal number of students with/without intellectual disabilities.
Unified Sports can be implemented through one of three styles:
- Competitive
- Player Development
- Recreation – Skills
Special Olympics Arizona offers a range of Unified sport opportunities:
Area Unified Sports
- Ages 7 and up
- Requires a minimum of 8 hours of practice to compete in the area competition
AIA Unified Sports
- Partnership with Arizona Interscholastic Association began in 2011
- Regular-season and post-season interscholastic league play
- Qualify for advancement to AIA Unified State Championships
- Eligible to receive JV and Varsity letters for participation in high school athletics and activities
Unified PE
- An inclusive program for elementary, middle, & high schools
- Combines athletes and partners on sports teams for training and competition within the PE classroom
- Students receive a PE credit towards graduation
- The Curriculum follows Arizona’s PE State Standards
Young Athletes
- Sport and play program for athletes and partners, ages 2-7 years old
- Introduces basic sport skills, like running, kicking, and throwing
- Flexible program designed for in the home, at school, or any community program
Sports Offered
Unified Champion School Resources
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact:
INCLUSIVE YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools offer opportunities for young people of all abilities to be leaders in designing and implementing classroom and extracurricular activities that promote equality and acceptance and, ultimately, create socially inclusive school climates.
The Inclusive Youth Leadership component intentionally blends opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities across the Whole School Engagement and Unified Sports components to advance social inclusion in the school.
Many possibilities exist for promoting social inclusion throughout the school such as assemblies and activity days, classrooms that nurture positive peer relationships between students of all abilities, and the expectation that respect and acceptance are the norm for the entire school environment.
What does Inclusive Youth Leadership look like?
- students leading warm-up drills for Unified PE classes.
- older students acting as mentors for younger students.
- students planning and completing a community service project with adult assistance.
- students brainstorming socially inclusive activities and getting feedback from their peers.
- students accessing their school’s inclusivity practices and brainstorming new ideas.
- planning and leading the annual Spread the Word campaign.
Why is it important?
- enhances the school’s efforts to improve the school climate.
- increases student independence.
- develops students’ sense of responsibility for contributing to a positive school climate.
- promotes key social and emotional skills.
- encourages choice and decision-making skills.
- heightens awareness of the strengths and talents all students possess.
Check out https://www.generationunified.org/ for more resources for educators and students featuring inspirational videos, weekly challenges, and Unified Classroom lesson plans.
Statewide Youth Leadership opportunities:
- State Youth Activation Committee (State YAC) is a committee of Inclusive High School Leaders representing schools from across the state who directly support the Unified Champion Schools® initiatives both on and off-campus. YAC members work behind and on the scenes of area and state competitions to gain leadership experience.
If you would like to join YAC, have any questions or would like more information, please contact: .
WHOLE SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT
Whole school engagement consists of awareness and education activities that promote inclusion and reaches the majority of the Unified Champion School population. There is no limit to how you can involve the entire school community in socially inclusive awareness activities. Opportunities range from giving morning announcements with anti-bullying messages, to providing Unified Physical Education classes, to promoting respect with a weeklong campaign.
Whole School Engagement activities that advance social inclusion knowledge, skills and dispositions in students, teachers, staff, administrators and others positively impact the school climate. An inclusive school climate that fosters understanding and respect for all can influence how students think and act both within and beyond the school.
How to get your Whole School involved in the Unified movement?
School-Wide Spread the Word: Inclusion Campaign:
In 2019, Spread the Word to End the Word became Spread the Word (STW), with a focus not just on the elimination of a word but on the creation of a new reality: inclusion for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The global engagement campaign remains committed to empowering grassroots leaders to change their communities, schools, and workplaces, now through a call to their peers to take action for inclusion. Learn more here: https://www.spreadtheword.global/
This campaign is celebrated statewide the first week of March every year! Reach out to Special Olympics Arizona Unified Champion School staff to learn more about their STW campaign and what you can do to get ready to celebrate Spread the Word!
Unified events:
- Unified Recess (Elementary strategy) – Young Athlete / Unified PE
- Unified Field Days
- School / Sports / Pep Assemblies
- Unified Fan Activation
- Unified Spirit week
- Disability Awareness Week
- Fan in the Stands
In-Class:
- Participate in Virtual Unified Classrooms through Special Olympics Arizona
- Implement the Unified Classroom lessons into your classroom activities
Links to resources by grade levels:
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the USC:
Bring Special Olympics into the classroom on your time! UCS Home room provides virtual in-class opportunities to unite your Unified groups together whether it’s through learning about inclusion or sharing an experience of fun and learning with one another!
HOW IT WORKS: Our team will host an activity that’s specifically reserved for your Unified group. All you have to do is invite your students and show up! You choose the time and date that works best for you. We suggest scheduling activities at least two weeks in advance for the best student engagement. These activities will be available all semester for your Unified group. We encourage you to take advantage of these free and fun programs on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the USC:
The Inclusion Revolution and YOU!
