UCS Announces 2022 Back-to-School Slate

Special Olympics Wisconsin Unified Champion Schools is kicking off another fun filled and busy school year! Empowering youth and educators to be leaders of change, UCS is looking to help schools create a more unified experience through Youth Leadership, Unified Sports, and Whole School Engagement.

Applications for the 2022-23 school year are now available. Schools interested in being a Unified Champion School should sign up here.

New exciting activations for 2022 that schools can take part in include:

  • Unified Readers: participants will get a set of educational books and curriculum designed to develop life skills, advance students’ civic knowledge, motivate young people to promote social inclusion and embrace those with shared differences.
  • Youth Activation Committee (YAC): YAC is coming back! The YAC is a group of 10 students from across the state of Wisconsin looking to make an impact on school communities around them by becoming an active advocate for a unified generation.
  • Unified Rookies (community and school based): year-round inclusive sports program in continuation of Young Athletes for intermediate grade level students. The goal is to introduce team sports at a young age to easily integrate into Special Olympics athletic competition and other school-based organized competition.

Additionally, UCS regularly hosts events—both in-person and virtually.

Coming up this fall, UCS will host Recreational Bowling Days throughout November and Early December. These one-day, non-competitive, fun-focused bowling events not only draw students into SOWI Unified Sports, but also encourage peer engagement amongst different school districts in hopes of building meaningful and long-lasting relationships.

Check the Events Calendar regularly for more UCS activities.

Recent UCS success stories include:

  • Students from Milwaukee’s Marshall, School of Languages, Vincent, and Washington high schools participated in the first ever Ralph Davis Invitational Unified basketball tournament this March.
  • Students from UW-Madison claimed gold in Unified Flag Football at the USA Games in Orlando, Fla., earlier this June.
  • Students from Columbus, McFarland, and DeForest high schools competed against a Unified soccer squad from Special Olympics Nebraska in a home-and-home United Soccer League series with Forward Madison Football Club.
  • Students from UW-Madison, Neenah High School, and Washington High School played an on-field halftime scrimmage at Lambeau Field for the Packers’ preseason game this August.

Finally, with a new school year brings a new SOWI Unified Team. Princess Brinkley was recently named the Director of Unified Programs, Hannah Roehrig assumes the role of Unified Champion Schools Manager, and Grace VanBergen is the Young Athletes Manager for the upcoming year.

Schools interested in learning more about being a Unified Champion School can fill out this form or contact Hannah Roehrig at [email protected]

The Unified Champion Schools® Program is creating a Unified Generation who are leading the charge to re-imagine and create communities in which all people are included and accepted.