Green Level High School was recently named to the 2024 ESPN Honor Roll, a distinction given to the top Special Olympics Unified Champion schools across the nation.
Green Level has earned this distinction through many efforts to provide an inclusive environment for special education students through school-wide involvement in Special Olympics, Unified Club, and even offering a Physical Education Pupil Instructors (PEPI) course, where general education students get to participate in physical activity with Extended Content Standards (ECS) special education students who otherwise may not have been able to participate in these activities.
When speaking with students who are a part of PEPI and Special Olympics, it is apparent that this meritorious recognition means so much to them. Seniors Ava Willebrandt, Ally Jawny, and Emily Piepho have been a leading force in Green Level’s student involvement in PEPI and Special Olympics since they started taking PEPI two years ago. Not only have they been involved in PEPI, but they have been a driving force in rekindling Green Level’s Unified Club after a stalemate in 2023 and leading the 2024 Spring Special Olympics as a part of the Games Management Team (GMT). Willebrandt, Piepho, and Jawny all agreed when asked what this honor means to them.
“This is so honorable because it means we have gone above and beyond to make this an inclusive community here at Green Level,” they said. “It really goes to show the effort we have put in making sure that this is a place where everyone can come to school and feel welcome and included. We can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in the future and what we can expand on.”
Green Level has not only been named to the ESPN Honor Roll for its tremendous efforts to provide inclusive athletic opportunities for students with physical and intellectual disabilities but is also among only four Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools to have received National Banner Recognition. Green Level is one of the four schools in the state of North Carolina to earn this distinction. According to the Special Olympics website, “A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence.”
