Butler high recognized by Special Olympics
Butler Senior High School will host a special banner presentation to celebrate its national recognition as a Special Olympics Pennsylvania Unified Champion School.
The school was recognized for providing inclusive sports and leadership activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities. The event will take place Friday, Dec. 20, at high school auditorium.
“It’s very hard to reach this recognition. It is a big honor to get, only 28 schools in PA get it, and it’s really amazing to see a school here get it because this is all about equity and inclusion. I think its very telling of what the school is doing in its involvement with the community,” said Larkin Richards, a public relations manager for Special Olympics Pennsylvania.
According to a news release from Special Olympics Pennsylvania, in 2024, the high school was one of only four schools in the state to be recognized.
Richards said unified teams at high schools are made up of Special Olympics athletes that attend the school, along with unified partners without intellectual disabilities. The teams help create common ground in the sport.
The ceremony will highlight the school’s unified bocce team, as well as the unified track & field teams. To be recognized will be faculty sponsors Kait Reges, Michelle Yeager, Bethany Meskel and Amanda Rekich.
A pep rally will kick off the celebration around 8:20 a.m. followed by remarks from principal Jason Huffman and the unveiling of the 2024 unified champion schools national banner.
A national review panel for Special Olympics awarded the honor to only 207 new and recertified high schools throughout the entire country.
The panel reviewed applications from schools around the country and found Butler to be a “national banner school,” due to its inclusive school climate, with a “high sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff.”
“This recognition as a National Banner Unified Champion School is a testament to the Senior High School's commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive community for all students,” Butler superintendent Brian White said in a news release. “I'd like to congratulate all of our senior high students, staff and families on this prestigious recognition, and thank them for their dedication to creating a school environment that reflects the spirit of inclusion, unity, and respect for all.”
Schools that receive this honor have to meet the 10 standards of excellence set by the Special Olympics. Schools can be recertified every four years.
The 10 standards of excellence include guidelines set around having unified sports teams set up with proper coaching and student engagement, having students show leadership, and awareness of the opportunities at the school.
