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Vista Middle School Nationally-Recognized For Inclusive Practices

LAS CRUCES---Thanks to a schoolwide effort to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities, Vista Middle School was recently named a Banner Unified Champion School by Special Olympics New Mexico (SONM). The recognition makes Vista Middle School the only middle school in the country to earn the distinction and one of only two Unified Champion Schools in New Mexico, according to officials from SONM.

“This recognition shows just how committed we are to providing an inclusive environment at our schools,” said LCPS Superintendent Dr. Greg Ewing. “I’d like to thank all the staff members, students and community members who helped to make this program a reality here in Las Cruces.”

In order to be named a Unified Champion School, the school had to maintain an inclusive school climate that exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. In addition, the school also had to demonstrate commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence which were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.

“We are very proud to be recognized as the first middle school in the nation to be named a Special Olympics Banner Unified Champion school,” said Vista Middle School Principal Mike Brewer. “Here at Vista we have a well-established culture of inclusive practices that started with the previous principal, Wendi Hammond.”

To meet the standards of excellence, the school had to have at least one unified sports team that participates in at least two sports seasons, demonstrate inclusive youth leadership, demonstrate whole school engagement and commit to continuing all three practices into the future.

“Michael Montoya, one of our low-incidence teachers, worked very hard to get everything done, and he was a major part of why we were recognized,” Brewer said. “I’d also like to acknowledge Kari Reyes, Amanda Tuthill and Marilyn Sullivan, for all their help.”

As part of the recognition, school officials were awarded a large vinyl banner that reads "Special Olympics Unified Champion School" and a sticker to commemorate the school’s first recognition year. If the school continues to meet the standards, school officials will be awarded additional stickers, which can be added to the banner, for each subsequent year the school is recognized as a Unified Champion School.

Vista Middle School has inclusive sports programs for football, basketball and track, which pair low-incidence students with general education students for upcoming competitions with other inclusive sports programs at Sierra Middle School, Mesa Middle School and Zia Middle School. The school recently participated in a three-day Unified Schools basketball tournament with Sierra Middle School and Zia Middle School.

Almost 30 schools are currently participating in Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming in New Mexico, as part of more than 5,000 schools across the country engaged in the program. Special Olympics has a global goal of creating 100,000 Unified Champion Schools by 2020.
 

Special Olympics New Mexico (SONM) provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Today, Special Olympics New Mexico serves over 3,300 athletes, offering training and competition in 12 sports.  Across the world, more than 3.5 million children and adults with intellectual disabilities participate in more than 200 programs in 180 countries. SONM is sponsored year-round and state-wide by New Mexico Knights of Columbus, New Mexico Law Enforcement Torch Run, French Funerals & Cremations, Wells Fargo, Mark’s Casa Auto Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NM, 7-Eleven, Blake’s Lotaburger, Cumulus and New Mexico Chevy Dealers.