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Unified Champion Schools is READY for the new school year. The numbers speak for themselves!

People of UCCS: Talisha, Sarah, and LaRhonda

“To highlight inclusion via Special Olympics is simply an opportunity to tell the world that we all matter.” —LaRhonda McCann, ...

Teacher Appreciation Week 2023

Teachers are the foundation of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools®. They ensure that students of all abilities have a place ...

Emma Broyles on Her Family’s Special Olympics Legacy

For Miss America 2022 Emma Broyles, Special Olympics is part of an important family legacy. Emma’s mother is a special ...

The UCS Impact on Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

UCS and Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® (UCS) programs support Social Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL helps students develop healthy identities, manage emotions, ...

This is Mary A. Otondo Elementary

Welcome to Mary A. Otondo Elementary in Yuma, Arizona. When educator Amanda Evans saw Unified in action for the first ...

This is East Garner Magnet Middle School

East Garner Magnet Middle School is a Title 1 school in Garner, North Carolina. They first introduced Unified PE to their ...

This is South View Middle School

South View Middle School is a Special Olympics Unified Champion School® in Edina, Minnesota. When Unified programs first arrived at ...

Say Hello to the Class of 2022 U.S. Youth Ambssadors

North, south, east, and west…our 2022-24 class of Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors are spreading inclusion all across ...

Unified Talks: History of Spread the Word

Spread the Word month continues! U.S. Youth Ambassadors Addison and Daniel are back for another episode of Unified Talks. ...

All About Me

Learn about the U.S. Youth Ambassadors.

Happy Birthday, Eunice Kennedy Shriver!

Today we celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of our founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Mrs. Shriver’s vision ...

All About Families with the U.S. Youth Ambassadors

Family > Everything The #UnifiedGeneration is all about the importance of family. Not just the family you’re born into ...

How Unified Track Brought Sam and Parker Together

Meet Sam and Parker from Special Olympics Kentucky. Together, the pair have competed over the last 6 years. As a result, ...

Learn the Story of 321 Coffee

It all began at a Unified flag football game at NC State University. The 321 Coffee team shared a dream of ...

Find Your Sense of Belonging with Unified Champion Schools

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Growing up, Daina Shilts did not have a Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools experience. ...

A collage image featuring several of the Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors

Say Hello to the U.S. Youth Ambassadors

30 young leaders make up the Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors. These are leaders with and without intellectual disabilities. Their ...

Discover Your Moment

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. Because of this program, students with ...

An Image of Loretta Claiborne smiling with her eyes closed. She is in black and white but there is a colorful background behind her.

Happy Birthday, Loretta Claiborne!

Every year on August 14, we celebrate Loretta Claiborne’s birthday. Loretta is the Chief Inspiration Officer of Special Olympics. She ...

Kate takes a photograph of her dog, a chocolate labrador.

#WorldPhotographyDay

Kate’s photography has taken her on unforgettable journeys. For World Photography Day on August 19, 2020, Kate gave us some of ...

Teacher Diane P. with her students from Burnet Middle School.

Teacher Appreciation Day 2020

On May 5, 2020, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day. There are thousands of teachers at the forefront of the Special Olympics movement. ...

National Siblings Day

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® celebrates siblings. We celebrate these siblings because they continue to power our movement. They do ...

Megan and Patrick smiling at the camera.

Megan and Patrick’s Moment

Watch Patrick and Megan’s Moment and learn about their shared inspiration: their sister Jenni.

Tanner’s Moment

Tanner gained a positive outlook on school and life after joining Unified Sports.

Rashaan’s Moment

After moving around during childhood, Rashaan found his passion for basketball. But it wasn’t until college where he found ...

Jenni’s Moment

Jenni’s younger brother Jason has Down syndrome. Growing up, Jason was one of the first students with Down syndrome ...

Claude and Catherine Dayas-Tokoto sitting in their home looking into each other's eyes.

Catherine and Claude’s Moment

Catherine and Claude Dayas-Tokoto emigrated from Cameroon to the United States. They did this in the hope of providing a ...

Deran, a high school athletic director from North Carolina looks off into the distance.

Deran’s Moment

When Deran was younger, he had a childhood friend named Jenny. When Jenny passed away, Deran felt shocked at how ...

Noah and his best friend Conrad hanging out.

Noah’s Moment

Growing up Noah and had an estranged relationship with his brother Sam who has an intellectual disability. The brotherly bond ...

Tajha, a US Youth Ambassador from Florida smiles for the camera while standing in front of a lake.

Tajha’s Moment

Tajha Ilerant is from Immokalee, Florida. After losing both of her parents at a young age, she let out her ...

Sidney and Britney a Unified pair from Hawaii smile for the camera.

Be The Change

Britney and Sidney are from Special Olympics Hawaii. They attended the Youth Leadership Experience at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games ...

Cody,a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #33 – Cody

There are many great things about Cody. First, Cody is an awesome soccer player and artist. Plus he is a ...

Sydney, a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #22 – Sydney

Sydney is one of the Captains of the Clovis North soccer team. Joining the team gave Sydney a sense of ...

Sean, a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #25 – Sean

Sean always played sports growing up. But, he didn’t find his community until he joined the Clovis North Broncos. ...

Special Olympics athlete Daina Shilts looking pensively into the distance.

Daina’s Powerful Story

Daina Shilts was bullied, teased and excluded when she was in school. Through Special Olympics, she found her love of ...

Eddie Yarbrough smiling as he walks down the hallway of his high school.

Eddie Yarbrough: From Unified Champion Schools to the NFL

Eddie Yarbrough is a Defensive End for the Minnesota Vikings. Before, he played for the Buffalo Bills. Before his professional ...

Kate DeCotis and a classmate sitting on the bus. Kate is smiling at the camera.

There is Nothing Kate Can’t Do

Through Kate’s story, we see what meaningful inclusion looks like from an early age. She is fully embraced as ...

Loretta Claiborne smiling at the camera.

Loretta: Our Inspiration

When Loretta Claiborne was a young girl, she felt isolated. She worried about what her future would hold. As she ...

Two students about to high-five in a school gym.

Special Olympics Celebrates 50th Anniversary

In this video, watch how Special Olympics has impacted different people throughout the movement. First, Loretta Claiborne talks about her ...

Evan and Jay Hallberg walking down the hallway of Ponaganset High School.

Evan & Jay: Brothers

Evan and Jay Hallberg are brothers. The two attended Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island. Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® ...