South Salem High School pairs special needs students with peers in unified program

When sophomore Joseph Angeles lifted the mic to sing the National Anthem at South Salem High School's Choose to Include assembly Wednesday, the gymnasium filled with about 2,000 people fell silent. 

Angeles, a student athlete with disabilities, sang alongside senior Briargate Curry as part of the school's unified school program, which pairs students with and without special needs to participate in sports, leadership classes, community service activities and more. 

And though dozens of students regularly take part in the program, Wednesday's assembly was proof the whole school has bought in.

Just about every piece of the assembly was unified, with athlete-partner duos hosting the event, drenching their teacher in ice water for the Polar Plunge challenge and playing in the main event — the unified basketball game.

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The student body was on their feet almost the entire time, cheering for every missed and made shot, every turnover, every major play. And across the backs of every jersey was the word "unified."

South Salem was recognized at the assembly as a Unified Champion School by Special Olympics Oregon. They are the 15th school in the state to earn the distinction, and the only one in Salem-Keizer Public Schools.

South Salem is part of the growing movement to make schools more inclusive for  students with special needs and different abilities, not just by offering classes and activities, but by creating a school environment in which bullying is not tolerated, stereotypes aren't perpetuated and hurtful language isn't used. 

"What happened in your gym today was magic," Special Olympics Oregon Chief Executive Officer Britt Oase told the South Salem students. "This doesn't happen at every school.

"I hope you carry it out ... into your lives," she said. "You'll change the world that way."

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Bringing students together

In Salem-Keizer, 16 percent of students receive special education services. Of South Salem's 1,800 students, about 13 percent do. 

South's unified program was started by special education teacher Brennan Young with the intent of bringing students into the spotlight to train and compete in a variety of team sports alongside their peers.

"This is a population of students that has been historically separated from their peers," said Melissa Glover, student services coordinator for the district. "These programs do more than just unify students in sports, they truly bring the whole school together."

It started at South about a year and a half ago with 25 kids in its first unified P.E. class, Young said. This year, the class has grown to 46 students.

Since its inception, the school's also added a unified basketball team and participated in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge — when people dive into cold water in the winter to raise money and awareness. 

South's also introduced inclusive leadership, which includes two leadership classes totaling 80 students.

"We have a bunch of unified opportunities taking off at South because of the unified P.E. class," Young said. "It just seems like there's a new opportunity every month at this school. Come out, support us."

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Leaving an impact on kids

For junior Gabby Baker, a partner in the unified program, the assembly meant a lot because the whole community of South was there together.

"It was really cool to see the whole school here cheering on everybody and understanding what the program is about," she said. "I think we have a lot more interest in it now because people know what it is. That's what we want."

The same went for junior Zak Ahre, one of the unified athletes, who said he liked how "everyone was cheering on other teams, but they were also trying to get a lot of pep into it." 

"The high school experience is about so much more than receiving an education," South Salem Principal Lara Tiffin said in a statement. "High school is about building lifelong relationships and developing important life skills to be successful upon graduation."

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Young plans to continue and expand the program as much as possible. Their goal is to make it a district-wide initiative and to eventually gain national recognition.

"South chooses to include," he said. "We're all students here, we're all Saxons and we all play together and learn together, and we're all gonna grow up and live and work together one day."

Contact reporter Natalie Pate at npate@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6745 or follow her on Twitter @Nataliempate or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/nataliepatejournalist.