Fifteen Anne Arundel County public schools, including Southern and South River high schools in the southern part of the county, have been named Maryland Unified Banner Schools by Special Olympics Maryland for building inclusion into classes, sports and student life.
The 15 schools account for nearly 43 percent of all Unified Banner Schools that Special Olympics Maryland named this year, Anne Arundel County Public Schools announced Oct. 14.
“This is an incredible testament to the work our schools do every day,” Superintendent Mark Bedell, Ed.D., said in the release. He said he is “so proud of that work and of our ongoing partnership with Special Olympics Maryland.”
The honorees
- High schools: Annapolis, Arundel, Broadneck, Chesapeake, Crofton, Glen Burnie, North County, Severna Park, South River and Southern
- Middle schools: Northeast and Old Mill Middle South
- Elementary schools: Four Seasons, Pasadena and Riviera Beach
Schools earn banner status by weaving inclusive practices into their curriculum and student activities. A school that holds the status two years in a row can apply for national recognition from Special Olympics.
How the schools earned it
At the high school level, students with and without disabilities train and compete as equal teammates in Unified Sports: tennis in the fall, bowling in the winter and bocce in the spring. The school system said the teams build sportsmanship, self-esteem, fitness and friendships.
High schools also offer Unified Physical Education, Dance, Visual Arts and Music classes that pair students with and without intellectual disabilities, along with Unified Leadership. Middle schools field Unified Bocce in the winter and offer Unified Physical Education and Leadership and Unified Dance and Leadership. The three elementary schools run Best Buddies clubs, which help students build relationships and friendships.
Special Olympics Maryland also promotes inclusive youth leadership and whole-school engagement through the program, the school system said.
Unified programs also run elsewhere in Southern Maryland. Charles County Public Schools teams swept state titles in Unified track this spring, and four Charles squads advanced in Unified bocce in February.
The release did not say how many students take part in Unified programs across the county. More about the program is available from Special Olympics Maryland.
