Prairie High School has been named a National Banner Unified Champion School by the Special Olympics for its sustained efforts to bring together students with and without disabilities.
Prairie High School will host a school-wide celebration and banner presentation on Friday, March 29, to commemorate the achievement.
“We’ve worked hard for this recognition,” the school’s Unified Sports coordinator Donna Eskelson-Smith said in a release. “The banner shows how much Prairie High School values inclusion.”
Prairie offers unified basketball and soccer, where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates. The school also has a unified club that participates in events along with Prairie’s Associated Student Body leaders.
Schools with this designation have demonstrated a commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 standards of excellence developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community, according to the district press.
Approximately 800 schools across the country have been designated National Banner Unified Champion Schools.
Prairie High School is one of just two schools in Southwest Washington to hold the designation currently, the release stated.
