The human spirit craves acceptance. That doesn't mean merely fitting in, but being loved and cherished as your authentic self.
One Denver middle school is leading the way on inclusion, advocacy, and respect — using sports as the perfect playing field to make their community a better place.
“Sports really bring the sense of team, the sense of community, the sense of joy and success," Patrice Underwood, the principal at Merrill Middle School, said.
Merrill is uniquely dedicated to making everyone feel welcome.
“It’s truly a microcosm of just compassion and an urban setting and diversity," Principal Underwood said. "We love to celebrate everybody.”
The school boasts student-led inclusivity groups, a newcomers program, and many other avenues to express good old-fashioned friendship.
“We just try to include everybody in our school in everything that we do," Wendy Shepard, Merrill's multi-intensive-severe special education teacher, said. “It melts my heart to see these students with disabilities being treated just like their typical peers.”
Their efforts aren't going unnoticed. Merrill was recognized by Special Olympics as a National Unified Champion School. The middle school received this distinguished status as a result of meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.
At an assembly in January, Broncos Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee Alex Singleton surprised Merrill Middle School to deliver the Champion banner.
“I think it’s huge," Singleton said. "It just progresses where we’re going. It’s really cool to have leaders in middle schools who are doing that now, elementary schools and high schools, it’s really special and it’s really important to the populations they’re supporting.”
Singleton's sister, Ashley, has Down Syndrome.
As kids, Ashley couldn't go to the same school as her little brother Alex. Seeing these middle schoolers love one another so completely warms this linebacker's heart.
“They really make individuals feel involved and feel part of the regular population of the school," Singleton said. "It’s cool how sports have been able to do that at such a young age.”
Merrill is the first middle school in the Denver Public Schools system to earn this distinction. It also one of 500 schools to receive this award this year.
Overall, there are more than 10,000 Unified Champion Schools in North America.
But more important than a piece of fabric, is the lives that are changed walking the halls at Merrill.
“To just see what they go through in a day and see the happiness and the life and the joy they have," Singleton said. "The more I can be around it the better. It brings that light into my life."
“I am re-invigorated with hope with every passing class," Principal Underwood said. "They are more accepting, more inclusive, more understanding.”
The National Unified Champion banner will hang in Merrill's main lobby — front and center — so it can inspire inclusion and acceptance every day.
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