Westfield Unified Sports works to promote inclusiveness and community-building between Westfield’s general student population and students with disabilities, who often feel isolated or alienated from the other students. The program is in its second year at Westfield. Westfield currently participates in social games, basketball, cheer, and track and field. It was pioneered nationally by Special Olympics, and is now offered in more than 10,800 schools in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico.
There are five student leaders (Caroline Elson, Lilly Wilson, Charlie Ewell, Blake Sanders, and Joey Wyatt) and two faculty advisors (Jessica Margarelli and James Utter). The student leaders coach their classmates in cheering and basketball. Caroline and Lilly are the cheer captains, and they create cheers, stunts, and dance routines for over 20 students. The cheer team has performed at Unified athletic events and they plan to participate at the 2025 FCPS District Family Summit, Beyond Labels: Nurturing a Culture of Belonging. Caroline is on the school’s Dance Team, and she feels that “Unified Cheer is a perfect mix of both my passion for inclusion and dance.”
Charlie, Blake, and Joey volunteered to coach basketball. Over 50 students regularly participate in drills, short games, relays, and tournaments with other high schools. Boys and girls, with and without disabilities, play basketball together and participate in games with several Prince William County schools. The Westfield Unified Sports basketball team also played a game against a special Olympics team.
The Unified Sports Program brings together students of many backgrounds and abilities around a common goal of enjoying sports, but it also includes laughter, acceptance, and friendship. Lilly observes, “This program allows everyone to be an athlete, working on the same team and working toward the same goal! While it gets competitive, we all enjoy being together and doing something we all love.” Two of the student leaders have been inspired to plan their futures based on their experiences at Westfield. Blake says he plans to be an Autistic Behavioral Analyst Therapist when he graduates from college. Joey says his career goal is to become a high school teacher and continue to be involved with Unified Sports. He says, “I want to encourage students with disabilities, like I was when I was younger, to fall in love with sports. I think these students benefit because of their newfound friendships and I find peace because I get to help people have the same opportunities as I had.”
Ms. Magarelli summarized by saying, “We are so proud of these students and their contribution to the program. They are really making a huge difference in the lives of their fellow students.”