After announcing all 36 Honor Roll Unified Champion Schools earlier this month, ESPN and Special Olympics recently announced the Top 5 Unified Champion Schools for 2020.

Delaware: Postlethwait Middle School

Iowa: Theodore Roosevelt High School

Minnesota: University of Minnesota Twin Cities

New Mexico: Mayfield High School

Vermont: Champlain Valley Union

According to the Special Olympics website, a Special Olympics 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.” To receive national recognition, the schools must each meet 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.

The primary activities within these standards include: Special Olympics Unified Sports® (where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates), Inclusive Youth Leadership (with opportunities for for youth with and without intellectual disabilities to become agents of change within their school, community, and state) and Whole-School Engagement (fostering the entire school community in a commitment to inclusion). 

For more about the Top 5 schools, take a look at ESPN’s article here.

For a list of all Unified Champion Schools and for more information about the program, take a look at the Special Olympics website here.