Fredonia earned national status as a unified champion school from the Special Olympics of New York. This award highlights the school district’s efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.
Fredonia seeks recognition for unified sports as student body president Eva Rukavina speaks about the impact the unified sports program has had on her at the district’s graduation ceremony at the State University of New York at Fredonia. The movement began to gain momentum.
“Joining the Unified program was the best decision I made in high school.” Rukavina said. “It taught me so much more about life and friendship. I can honestly say that meeting and becoming friends with each and every athlete I played with over the last four years has made me a better person.” Masu.”
From there, the movement gained momentum when Naomi McNutt, the mother of a Fredonia unified athlete, advocated for Fredonia to be recognized as a unified champion school. McNutt talked about the impact the program has had on her son, Luke, who will finish his education at Fredonia this year.
“Luke’s future is much brighter because of Unified, the relationships he has built, and the dreams we dare to dream now, because we have seen firsthand the path forged by opportunity. Because I have experienced it.” McNutt said.
Fredonia is now one of 13 schools to receive well-deserved recognition this year. Fredonia joins Dunkirk and Silver Creek in receiving this honor.
To earn the national banner, schools must meet 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. These standards include inclusive youth leadership, whole-school initiatives, and a unified Special Olympics sports program. Students without disabilities train and compete as teammates. National flag schools also need to demonstrate that they are self-sustaining or have plans to continue these activities into the future.
“Integration is one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to our school, and the fun it has brought to our school culture has been life-changing for many of our students and staff. .” said Julie Saunders, one of the district’s unified coaches.
The Unified Champion Schools Model is a strategy for schools from preschool through college that intentionally promotes meaningful education. Achieve social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create an inclusive school environment. This model is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. Through research, it has been proven to be an effective and reproducible means of providing students with: Even those without disabilities have the opportunity to build positive social relationships and promote a socially inclusive school climate.
“I really enjoyed Unified Sports because it’s a chance for everyone to be a part of the set.”With a group of friends, no matter what your school day looks like, they can come here. A positive environment with helpful people. ” Fredonia student Charles Domenico said.
The presence of a unified sports program at Fredonia has given Luke McNutt the opportunity to interact with other students. Luke was often placed in well-equipped classrooms to accommodate his autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder needs, making social interaction difficult to achieve in other settings.
“Unified Sports has opened doors for my son that I thought were closed to me for a long time.”McNutt said.
Before joining the Unified Bowling team, Luke McNutt had never played a team sport. He currently plays on all three unified teams: bowling, basketball, and bocce. His younger brother Asher competes with him on the unified bowling team, and his youngest brother Solomon participates in the annual Polar Plunge fundraiser to support the Special Olympics.
“Unified doesn’t just bring students together; it brings our families together.” McNutt said.
Currently, more than 340 schools in New York are participating in Unified Champion Schools programming. 10,000 Puerto Rico schools across the country, including 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth, participate in the program The Unified Champion Schools Strategy aims to expand to 20,000 schools by 2030.
Ms. Rukavina embodies the district’s vision of helping students become the best versions of themselves when they graduate from high school. “If Unified has taught me anything, it’s that being kind and accepting is a great place to start.”
Now that the district’s vision has attracted the attention of the Special Olympics, Fredonia’s rightfully earned flag will demonstrate those values to all who recognize its place in the rafters.
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