At Thursday's board of education meeting the Unified Team were recognized for all their hard work and dedication.
Melissa Barrett, Assistant Superintendent of Special Education introduced and thanked adult organizers Daniel Geraghty, Elias Zurita, Lynn Schuster and Emily Rippel. Unified student leader Peyton Matik was also recognized, as were a number of Middlebrook and High School students who have made the program the success it is today.
WHS Alumnus Peter Orfino spoke to what Unified means to him 'I enjoy helping the other teams as well as my own and I enjoy seeing friends from other towns and my own town. There are a lot of people there who I can relate to very much'
Unified sports is a registered program of the Special Olympics that combines athletes with and without intellectual disability (or other developmental delays) on sports teams for training and competition. All Unified Sports teammates are of similar age and teams are placed in competitive divisions based on their skill abilities, and range from developmental to recreational to competitive. Wilton High School started with a soccer team four years ago and have now added basketball, track and theater to what is on offer all students.
In 2018 Wilton High School was recognized as a National Banner Unified Champion School. WHS was recognized as having demonstrated a commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. Wilton High School was one of only four schools recognized in this way in 2018.
Unified meets every Thursday afternoon at 2.45pm at the High School. Busing is available from Middlebrook for all students who wish to get involved. Any Middlebrook or High School student who would like learn more about the program and get involved for basketball season should reach out to Mrs. Schuster at Middlebrook, or Mrs. Barrett at the High School.
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