Unified Champion Schools®
Building upon Special Olympics’ values, principles, practices, experiences and impacts, the Unified Champion Schools® (UCS) program aims at promoting social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities affecting systems-wide change. Our goal is to engage students of all ages and abilities and to help shape a UNIFIED GENERATION that Chooses to Include. Unified Sports® is a component of the Unified Champion Schools program that engages students with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports team.
With sports as the foundation, UCS is offered at every level:
- Elementary School: Young Champions
- Middle School: Champions Together in the Middle
- High School: Champions Together
- Inner and Urban School Districts: Unified City Champions
- Colleges and Universities: Collegiate Champions
This is accomplished by implementing the program’s four pillars: inclusive youth leadership opportunities, Unified Sports®, whole school engagement and collaborative fundraising. The program weaves into the fabric of the school, enhancing current efforts and providing rich opportunities that lead to meaningful change in creating a socially inclusive school that supports and engages all students, teachers and administrators.
Unified Champion Schools® Newsletter
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What makes a Unified Champion School?
Inclusive Youth leadership
Opportunities for youth with and without intellectual disabilities to become agents of change within their school, community and state.
Special Olympics Unified Sports®
Students develop athletic skills while forming friendships, fostering respect for each other and becoming leaders on and off the court.
Whole School Engagement
An important feature of creating a socially inclusive school climate is engaging the entire school community in the process.
Collaborative Fundraising
School communities work together to raise the money needed to ensure that the UCS program is self-sustaining and can continue to grow.
Champions at every level
As a global leader in the implementation of UCS programming, Special Olympics Indiana works with partners to reach more than 19,000 students in nearly 600 Indiana schools each year, including the:
- Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA)
- Indiana Middle Level Education Association (IMLEA)
- Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education (ICASE)
- Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS)
Indiana’s National Banner Schools
Participating schools are challenged to engage their entire school community in inclusive activities and to achieve certain goals related to each of the four pillars of the UCS program. Schools that meet or exceed each of these milestones in a given school year are awarded a recognition banner, while those that go above and beyond may be eligible for national recognition by Special Olympics North America.
Learn more about the National Banner Recognition Program and Indiana’s honorees.
CLASS OF 2023
Franklin Community High School
O.J. Neighbours Elementary School-*
South Ripley High School (two-time winner)
CLASS OF 2022
Vincennes Lincoln High School-*
CLASS OF 2021
North Knox High School-*
CLASS OF 2020
Bedford North Lawrence High School
Center Grove High School
DeKalb High School
Franklin Central High School
Indian Creek High School
Mount Vernon High School
Rochester Community Middle School
Valparaiso High School-*
CLASS OF 2019
Blackford Jr.-Sr. High School
Carmel High School-*
Carroll High School (Fort Wayne)
Columbus East High School
East Noble High School
Fishers High School
Goshen High School
Harrison High School (West Lafayette)
Mooresville High School
Muncie Central High School
North Side High School (Fort Wayne)
Perry Meridian High School
South Ripley High School
West Lafayette High School
*-ESPN Honor Roll nominee
About Young Champions
Young Champions is a partnership between Special Olympics Indiana and ICASE that facilitates participation in UCS programming by elementary and pre- schools throughout Indiana. Schools that have distinguished themselves through inclusive activities and by meeting or exceeding all of the following criteria are recognized annually with a Unified Champion Schools banner:
- All school-sponsored UCS activities must be planned, organized and administered by an “Inclusive Student Leadership Team” that strives to do things WITH students with intellectual disabilities, NOT FOR them.
- The school must participate in at least one activity designed around “Whole School Engagement” and/or a school-wide fundraiser for Special Olympics Indiana that promotes and encourages awareness, respect, and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities.
- The school must organize and participate in at least one Unified Sports® activity, such as a Unified Track and Field meet, a Unified Fitness Club, a Unified Physical Education class, or
a Unified competition involving students and/or local Special Olympics athletes. - The school must fundraise a minimum of $250 for Special Olympics Indiana to assist in sustaining and expanding UCS activities such as the Young Champions program.
For more information, contact Lisa Graham, Unified Champion Schools Consultant or Mike Hasch, Senior Director of Unified Champion Schools.
Resources for Teachers & Administrators
Unified Sports Offered
Unified Robotics
About Champions Together in the Middle
Champions Together in the Middle is a partnership between Special Olympics Indiana and the IMLEA that facilitates participation in UCS programming by middle and intermediate schools throughout Indiana. Schools that have distinguished themselves through inclusive activities and by meeting or exceeding all of the following criteria are recognized annually with a Unified Champion Schools banner:
- All school-sponsored UCS activities must be planned, organized and administered by an “Inclusive Student Leadership Team” that strives to do things WITH students with intellectual disabilities, NOT FOR them.
- The school must participate in at least one activity designed around “Whole School Engagement” and/or a school-wide fundraiser for Special Olympics Indiana that promotes and encourages awareness, respect, and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities.
- The school must organize and participate in at least one Unified Sports® activity, such as a Unified Track and Field meet, a Unified Fitness Club, a Unified Physical Education class, or
a Unified competition involving students and/or local Special Olympics athletes. - The school must fundraise a minimum of $750 for Special Olympics Indiana to assist in sustaining and expanding UCS activities such as Champions Together in the Middle.
For more information, contact Tori Batson, Director of Unified Champion Schools and contact for Champions Together in the Middle, or Mike Hasch, Senior Director of Unified Champion Schools.
2022-2023 Banner Schools
- Benjamin Rush Middle School
- Brownsburg East Middle School
- Brownsburg West Middle School
- Edinburgh Middle School
- Franklin Central Junior High School
- Greenfield-Central Junior High School
- Greensburg Junior High School
- John Young Middle School
- Lowell Middle School
- Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Middle School
- North Knox Jr. High School
- Plainfield Community Middle School
- R.J. Baskett Middle School
- South Ripley Junior High School
- Tippecanoe Valley Middle School
- Zionsville Middle School
- Zionsville West Middle School
Resources for Teachers & Administrators
Unified Sports Offered
- Unified Esports
- Unified Robotics
About Champions Together
Champions Together is a partnership between Special Olympics Indiana and the IHSAA that facilitates participation in UCS programming by high schools throughout Indiana. Schools that have distinguished themselves through inclusive activities and by meeting or exceeding all of the following criteria are recognized annually with a Unified Champion Schools banner:
- All school-sponsored UCS activities must be planned, organized and administered by an “Inclusive Student Leadership Team” that strives to do things WITH students with intellectual disabilities, NOT FOR them.
- The school must participate in at least one activity designed around “Whole School Engagement” and/or a school-wide fundraiser for Special Olympics Indiana that promotes and encourages awareness, respect, and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities.
- The school must organize and participate in at least one Unified Sports® activity, such as a Unified Track and Field meet, a Unified Fitness Club, a Unified Physical Education class, or
a Unified competition involving students and/or local Special Olympics athletes. - The school must fundraise a minimum of $1500 for Special Olympics Indiana to assist in sustaining and expanding UCS activities such as the Champions Together program.
For more information, contact Brian Avery, Champions Together Consultant or Mike Hasch, Senior Director of Unified Champion Schools.
History
The establishment of the Champions Together partnership was announced at the IHSAA headquarters on December 17, 2012. The partnership evolved from IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox’s charge to the IHSAA Student Advisory Committee (SAC) to engage in “servant leadership” and discover ways to give back to their schools and communities.
The IHSAA SAC researched options and unanimously requested that an official partnership be formed with Special Olympics Indiana as the most appropriate fit for education-based athlete servant leadership. Special Olympics International has supported Champions Together as a model program to activate schools through “Project Unify” and subsequent Unified Schools initiatives, which also carries the endorsement of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (IIAAA).
During the first full year of the program: 26 schools were earned the Champions Together award banner for achieving all four (4) of Project Unify goals, while a total of 197 high schools achieved at least one goal; 13 schools participated in the inaugural IHSAA Unified Track & Field state championship; and all participating schools combined to raise in excess of $75,000 for the support of Champions Together activities. In the years since, these numbers have grown exponentially.
2022-2023 Banner Schools
- Barr-Reeve Community High School
- Bedford North Lawrence High School
- Beech Grove High School
- Blackford High School
- Bloomfield Jr-Sr High School
- Bloomington North High School
- Boonville High School
- Borden High School
- Brebeuf Jesuit High School
- Brownsburg High School
- Carmel High School
- Carroll (FW) High School
- Center Grove High School
- Daleville High School
- Danville High School
- DeKalb High School
- East Noble High School
- Edinburgh Community High School
- Elkhart High School
- Fishers High School
- Floyd Central High School
- Fort Wayne North Side High School
- Franklin Community High School
- Greencastle Senior High School
- Greensburg High School
- Griffith High School
- Hamilton Southeastern High School
- Harrison (WL) High School
- Hobart Senior High School
- Indian Creek High School
- Indianapolis Cathedral High School
- Jimtown High School
- Kankakee Valley High School
- Lafayette Central Catholic High School
- LaPorte High School
- Lewis Cass Jr/Sr High School
- Lincoln High School – Vincennes
- Lowell High School
- Madison Consolidated High School
- Madison-Grant Jr/Sr High School
- Manchester High School
- McCutcheon High School
- Merrillville High School
- Mississinewa High School
- Mishawaka High School
- Mitchell High School
- Mooresville High School
- Morristown High School
- Muncie Central High School
- North Knox Sr. High School
- North Posey High School
- North Putnam High School
- Norwell High School
- Perry Meridian High School
- Plainfield High School
- River Forest High School
- Salem High School
- Shelbyville High School
- Sheridan High School
- South Dearborn High School
- South Ripley High School
- Speedway High School
- University High School
- Valparaiso High School
- West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School
- Westfield High School
- Woodlan High School
- Yorktown High School
Resources for Teachers & Administrators
Unified Sports Offered
About Unified Champion City Schools
Unified Champions City Schools is a partnership between Special Olympics Indiana and inner and urban school districts such as Indianapolis Public Schools and Fort Wayne Public Schools that facilitates participation in UCCS programming by pre-schools through high schools in Marion County and Allen County in Indiana. Schools that have distinguished themselves through inclusive activities and by meeting or exceeding all of the following criteria are recognized annually with a Unified Champion City Schools banner:
- All school-sponsored UCS activities must be planned, organized and administered by an “Inclusive Student Leadership Team” that strives to do things WITH students with intellectual disabilities, NOT FOR them.
- The school must participate in at least one activity designed around “Whole School Engagement” and/or a school-wide fundraiser for Special Olympics Indiana that promotes and encourages awareness, respect, and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities.
- The school must organize and participate in at least one Unified Sports® activity, such as a Unified Game Day meet, a Unified Fitness Club, a Unified Physical Education class, or
a Unified competition involving students and/or local Special Olympics athletes. - The school must fundraise the minimum of their respective level for Special Olympics Indiana to assist in sustaining and expanding UCCS programs and activities.
For more information, contact Chris Akers, Unified Champion City Schools Consultant, or Mike Hasch, Senior Director of Unified Champion Schools.
Resources for Teachers & Administrators
About Collegiate Champions
Collegiate Champions facilitates participation in UCS programming by colleges and universities throughout Indiana. Schools that have distinguished themselves through inclusive activities and by meeting or exceeding all of the following criteria are recognized annually with a Unified Champion Schools banner:
- All school-sponsored UCS activities must be planned, organized and administered by an “Inclusive Student Leadership Team” that strives to do things WITH students with intellectual disabilities, NOT FOR them.
- The school must participate in at least one activity designed around “Whole School Engagement” and/or a school-wide fundraiser for Special Olympics Indiana that promotes and encourages awareness, respect, and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities.
- The school must organize and participate in at least one Unified Sports® activity, such as a Unified Track and Field meet, a Unified Fitness Club, a Unified Physical Education class, or
a Unified competition involving students and/or local Special Olympics athletes. - The school must fundraise a minimum of $3000 for Special Olympics Indiana to assist in maintaining and expanding the Collegiate Champions program and activities.
For more information, contact Matt Jones, Manager of Unified Champions Schools, or Mike Hasch, Senior Director of Unified Champion Schools.
School Assemblies
Hosted by comedian Craig Tornquist, our high energy school assemblies are an uplifting and fun way to energize your school while learning about Champions Together and Unified Champion Schools. Best known for his love of audience participation, Craig has delighted more than 3,000 school assembly crowds across the country and is joined by Special Olympics Indiana staff and student ambassadors in providing an overview of our program.
To host an assembly at your school, contact Craig Tornquist at [email protected] or (574) 360-0853.
Video Library
Learn about Special Olympics Indiana’s UCS program and follow Champions Together on YouTube to see more videos, including the Unified Champion Spotlight Series hosted by Craig Tornquist.
Contact Us
Are you ready to take the next step and become a Unified Champion School? Contact a member of our team below.
