Haverford High Getting Special Olympics National Recognition

HAVERTOWN, PA — Haverford High School will be honored for its role in supporting sports and activities for students with and without disabilities by the Special Olympics.

At 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, the school will host a special banner presentation to acknowledge its national recognition for its outstanding efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities.

The celebration will feature cheering students, remarks from Matt Aaron, Special Olympics President and CEO; Carole Clancy, Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Education; Pete Donaghy, Principal of Haverford High School, and two students with intellectual disabilities who participate in the school’s unified sports program.

The remarks will be followed by a teachers-versus-students bocce game and the unveiling of the 2019 National Unified Champion School Banner.

More than 120 schools are currently participating in Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming in Pennsylvania and more than 5,000 schools across the country engaged in the program.

Haverford High School is receiving this honor as a result of meeting national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect, which places it among a select number of schools to receive this distinction.

A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence.

The primary activities within these standards include: Special Olympics Unified Sports (where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates), Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Whole-School Engagement.

These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.

Haverford High School is located at 200 Mill Road in Havertown.