Newsletter- Unified Champion Schools

November Newsletter

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve reached an all-time record of 555 Unified Champion Schools! This remarkable milestone reflects the dedication and hard work each of you has poured into our programs. We’re also excited to introduce a new resource designed to support your efforts: the Unified Champion Schools Dashboard. This comprehensive tool will be your go-to resource for everything Unified, helping you access essential information and updates more efficiently than ever!

Unified Champion Schools Dashboard

We'd love to hear from you! Please share an inspiring story, achievement, or photo from your program, and you could be featured in our next newsletter. Fill out this Photo and Story Highlight Form or visit our new Unified Champion Schools dashboard.

We’re thrilled to announce the Class of 2024 National Banner Unified Champion Schools. These 10 Florida schools listed below have demonstrated a commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 standards of excellence.

Want to learn more about how to become a National Banner Unified Champion School? Watch our new video!

The application cycle for the next school year will open in April 2025. Here are the standards for your school level:

Component 1:

Whole School Engagement

2024 Race for Inclusion

On December 3, in honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Unified Champion Schools across Florida will unite for the Race for Inclusion - Unified Schools. This statewide event will bring students, staff, and communities together to celebrate inclusion and raise funds that directly support their Unified programs. By participating, schools will contribute to sports training, competitions, essential health services, and leadership opportunities for over 75,000 Special Olympics Florida athletes.

Let’s rally together to make this day a memorable celebration of unity, inclusion, and school pride!

Sign your school up today:

Unified Schools Site

Component 2:

Inclusive Youth Leadership

The 2024-2025 Youth Activation Committee is officially underway! We held our first meeting this past October, and the committee is eager to contribute to fostering inclusion and promoting the mission of Special Olympics Florida. We have two more meetings planned for this school year, culminating in an in-person gathering at the State Youth Summit at the University of Central Florida in May.

We are excited to announce that Tavares High School, Immokalee High School, Florida A&M University, and Florida State University have been selected to participate in the SONA Inclusive Leadership Cohort. These schools are engaging virtually with youth from across the country through weekly meetings from October to December, and bi-weekly sessions from January to June. The program focuses on building professional skills, developing impactful projects, and expanding networks. These students will strengthen their leadership abilities in areas such as innovation, openness, bravery, grit, empathy, and accountability as they lead projects promoting inclusion in their schools and communities. We look forward to showcasing these projects at our Youth Summit in May.

Highlights!

Healthy Athletes - Special Smiles has expanded into health screenings for all! We've broadened our reach and can now provide Unified Champion Schools with even more health screening opportunities, serving more athletes and partners statewide. If you signed up in the Fall, keep an eye out for additional opportunities coming this Spring!

We are excited to announce a new partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The first event took place on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at LaVoy Exceptional Center, a Unified Champion School serving students from kindergarten to transition age. To celebrate the start of the hockey season, students had the unique opportunity to learn floor hockey from Lightning players. The event concluded with a fun game between the players and students, followed by an autograph session. It was an unforgettable experience for the students and staff at LaVoy. The next event is set for November 20 in Pasco County, where the Lightning will teach floor hockey to students in the Special Olympics Florida Motor Activity Training Program.

Check out U.S. Youth Ambassadors Tyler and Brianna from Durant High School in Tampa, Florida, as they share their experiences with the program so far. Watch the video!

Component 3: Unified Sports

The Future is Inclusion!

FHSAA Bowling

Due to hurricanes, our FHSAA Unified Bowling season was canceled, so we invited all 20 teams to advance to the FHSAA Bowling State Championships on Thursday, October 31. All teams bowled 3 qualifying games in the morning, and the top 8 teams advanced to the Baker System in the afternoon. St. Cloud High School from Osceola County took the state championship trophy, while Cypress Creek High School from Pasco County took the state runner-up trophy.

FHSAA Flag Football

Ten teams from the FHSAA Unified Flag Football team advanced to the state championships which were held at ESPN Wide World of Sports on Friday, November 8 in conjunction with Special Olympics Florida's State Fall Classic. The day started with semi-final games for divisions 3 & 4 to see who would play for the state championship and the 3^rd place games. At 10am, we held the championship and 3^rd place games for all 3 divisions. For Division 2, Immokalee High School from Collier County beat Homestead Senior High School from Miami-Dade County 38-14 to take home the state championship. For Division 3, Vero Beach High School from Indian River County edged out Mt. Dora High School from Lake County 32-25 to take home the state championship. For Division 4, East Ridge High School from Lake County beat Chiles High School from Leon County 12-6 to take home the state championship. After the competitions were over, all teams were awarded FHSAA trophies and medals and were able to attend Healthy Athletes, eat lunch, and watch the State Fall Classic competitions.

Enrollment in Young Athletes, Little ELITES, Rising Stars, Motor Activity Training Program, and competitive Unified Sports is open! Contact us to start your required inclusive sports component. We have school-based programming for every grade and ability level!