San Benito High School was recently notified that it is one of 68 schools nationwide and one of just three in California to be named a Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School for demonstrating an ongoing commitment to inclusion. For the past four years, SBHS has been recognized as a Unified Champion School, but the national recognition is a first.

According to the Special Olympics, a Unified Champion School has “an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff.” Schools that receive national banner recognition demonstrate a commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.

Among the standards is a Special Olympics Unified Sports program, in which students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates. San Benito High School offers unified soccer, basketball and cheer teams, and offers leadership opportunities for general education students who serve as student coaches and support staff for Unified Sports teams, Circle of Friends officers and members, peer helpers, and coordinators of the annual Unified Prom.

Paulette Cobb, San Benito High School District’s director of specialized student services and special education, said the National Unified Champion recognition is a reflection of the entire school community supporting inclusionary practices.

“[The designation] is not easily achieved,” Cobb added. “It takes time and commitment and our community should be very proud of providing opportunities for students in sports, in relationship-building, and in learning to work together in so many positive ways.”

Part of the school’s inclusion program, the annual Gifted Games provide an opportunity for students with disabilities to participate in athletic events in a non-competitive atmosphere. Started in 2005 with the SBHS Life Skills program, the games later expanded to include all Hollister School District Schools and others from San Benito County.

For 12 years at SBHS, Circle of Friends has provided social inclusion opportunities, pairing special-needs students with general education students so they can practice social skills and feel accepted on campus.

Circle of Friends Club officers continued to foster the club’s spirit of inclusion during the pandemic and remote instruction, including coordinating virtual workouts for the school’s Unified Sports program.

Circle of Friends President Mia Villegas said she became involved with the group because she valued inclusion and wanted to understand more about the difficulties these students have.

“It’s important that we find a common interest with these students because it helps with their people skills and their learning of essential skills,” Villegas said.

This program started in 2017 with a proposal by a student peer helper for a Gifted Soccer team. It was piloted in the Spring of 2018 with players from the girls varsity soccer team as peer partners.

The program then partnered with Special Olympics and added a Gifted Basketball team while incorporating the “Unified” messaging for all teams.

Inclusion was already part of the campus and community when the school first connected with Special Olympics, the school already had two of the three criteria in place, said San Benito High School Special Education Program Specialist Cassandra Guerrero.

Over the past several years, the school has added more sports and training staff and worked on aligning with the National Unified model to meet the 10 criteria needed to reach the elite status.

“[While] it is an honor to be recognized for the Unified program by the Special Olympics, in reality the reward is the benefits to our students,” Cobb said. “All students involved are experiencing a program that teaches something you cannot learn in books, including empathy, caring, and understanding of our fellow community members.”

Cobb said she hopes to not only influence the San Benito High School community but other districts who desire a more inclusionary opportunities in their school communities in order to nurture a generous and caring spirit in our world today.

“As superintendent, I could not be more proud of the commitment to inclusiveness championed by students, faculty, staff, the administration and the Board of Trustees,” said San Benito High School District Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum. “This latest, national recognition by the Special Olympics shows that through inclusivity and engagement, we believe that every student matters. And we know that every day is a great day to be a Baler!”