Vincennes Lincoln High School among those to receive banner recognition from Special Olympics North America

Four Indiana high schools received national banner recognition from Special Olympics North America for their effort to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.

The following schools earned this distinguished status as a result of meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. These standards were developed by a panel of national leaders from Special Olympics and educators.

The schools are:

• Arsenal Technical High School
• Bloomington North High School
• East Noble High School
• Vincennes Lincoln High School

This is the second national banner for East Noble and Vincennes Lincoln. This is the first banner recognition for Arsenal Tech and Bloomington North.

“Every student deserves the opportunity to feel they are valued and respected,” Special Olympics Indiana President and CEO Jeff Mohler said. “These four schools are showing what that looks like in action. National Banner recognition is a tremendous accomplishment that reflects the commitment of students, educators and school communities to creating a culture where everyone belongs.”

The primary activities within these standards include inclusive youth leadership opportunities, whole-school engagement and Special Olympics Unified Sports®, where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates. Utilizing these three interconnected components has been shown to create accepting school environments.

More than 600 Indiana schools currently participate in the Unified Champion Schools® program. They are part of 12,000 schools that take part nationwide.

The Unified Champion Schools® model is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. This model has been proven, through research, to be an effective and replicable means of providing students with and without disabilities the opportunity to form positive social relationships and promote a socially inclusive school climate.